P3 amplitude reductions are associated with shared variance between internalizing and externalizing psychopathology

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychopathology
• Cognitive Neuroscience

Background:

• P3 amplitude reductions are observed in oddball paradigms.
• These reductions are linked to internalizing (e.g., depression, anxiety) and externalizing (e.g., substance use, aggression) problems.
• A general psychopathology factor (p-factor) may explain shared variance between internalizing and externalizing problems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate neurophysiological markers of the shared variance between internalizing and externalizing problems.
• To examine P3 amplitude in relation to a general psychopathology factor.
• To assess P3 amplitude to target and novel stimuli in an undergraduate sample.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a rotated heads visual oddball paradigm with undergraduate participants (N=125).
• Presented International Affective Picture System (IAPS) pictures as infrequent novel stimuli.
• Measured P3 amplitude in response to target and novel stimuli.

Main Results:

• Replicated P3 amplitude reduction for internalizing and externalizing problems separately.
• Found significant association between the shared variance of internalizing and externalizing problems and lower P3 amplitude to novel stimuli.
• Observed that a general psychopathology factor score was significantly related to reduced P3 amplitude to both novel and target stimuli.

Conclusions:

• The findings support the interpretation that a general or shared problem behavior factor underlies the association between reduced P3 amplitude and internalizing/externalizing problems.
• P3 amplitude may serve as a neurophysiological marker for a general psychopathology factor.
• This research contributes to understanding the neurobiological basis of transdiagnostic psychopathology.