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Decoding P300 as a shared neural mechanism for oddball target detection and working memory updating
Weixing Yang1,2, Shuoqi Xiang3, Bijuan Huang4
1Faculty of Psychology, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, Shandong, China.
Iscience
|February 18, 2026
Summary
The P300 brainwave component, crucial for context and working memory (WM) updating, is shared between oddball target detection and WM tasks. This suggests a common neural basis for these cognitive processes.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Electrophysiology
Background:
- The P300 is a prominent event-related potential linked to context updating and working memory (WM).
- Its role in both oddball target detection and WM tasks suggests overlapping neural mechanisms.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether the P300 component shares neural representations between oddball target detection and WM updating.
- To test the hypothesis of shared neural mechanisms using cross-task decoding.
Main Methods:
- Multivariate pattern analysis (MVPA) applied to electroencephalography (EEG) data.
- Cross-task decoding was performed between an oddball task and an n-back task (a WM paradigm).
Main Results:
- Classifiers trained on EEG data from one task successfully decoded patterns from the other task.
- Decoding accuracy was highest within the P300 time window and concentrated in the parietal/occipital regions.
Conclusions:
- The P300 exhibits shared neural representations for oddball target detection and WM updating.
- These findings provide evidence for the WM updating account of the P300 based on neural representation.
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