TY - JOUR
T1 - Electrophysiological indices of interference resolution covary with individual fluid intelligence
T2 - Investigating reactive control processes in a 3-back working memory task
AU - Perfetti, Bernardo
AU - Varanese, Sara
AU - Mancino, Elisa
AU - Mercuri, Pasqua
AU - Tesse, Marcello
AU - Franciotti, Raffaella
AU - Bonanni, Laura
AU - Thomas, Astrid
AU - Onofrj, Marco
PY - 2014
Y1 - 2014
N2 - It has been proposed that the well-established relationship between working memory (WM) and fluid intelligence (gf) is mediated by executive mechanisms underlying interference control. The latter relies upon the integrity of a frontoparietal brain network, whose activity is modulated by general cognition. In regards to the chronology of this activation, only few EEG studies investigated the topic, although none of them examined the regional interaction or the effects of individual differences in gf. The current investigation sought at extending previous research by characterizing the EEG markers (temporal activation and regional coupling) of interference control and the effects of the individual variation in gf. To this end, we recorded the EEG activity of 33 participants while performing verbal and spatial versions of a 3-back WM task. In a separate session, participants were administered with a test of fluid intelligence. Interference-inducing trials were associated with an increased negativity in the frontal scalp region occurring in two separate time windows and probably reflecting two different stages of the underlying cognitive process. In addition, we found that scalp distribution of such activity differed among individuals, being the strongest activation of the left and right frontolateral sites related to high gf level. Finally, high- and low-gf participants showed different patterns in the modulation of regional connectivity (electrodes coherence in the range of 4.5-7.5. Hz) according to changes in attention load among types of trials. Our findings suggest that high-gf participants may rely upon effective engagement and modulation of attention resources to face interference.
AB - It has been proposed that the well-established relationship between working memory (WM) and fluid intelligence (gf) is mediated by executive mechanisms underlying interference control. The latter relies upon the integrity of a frontoparietal brain network, whose activity is modulated by general cognition. In regards to the chronology of this activation, only few EEG studies investigated the topic, although none of them examined the regional interaction or the effects of individual differences in gf. The current investigation sought at extending previous research by characterizing the EEG markers (temporal activation and regional coupling) of interference control and the effects of the individual variation in gf. To this end, we recorded the EEG activity of 33 participants while performing verbal and spatial versions of a 3-back WM task. In a separate session, participants were administered with a test of fluid intelligence. Interference-inducing trials were associated with an increased negativity in the frontal scalp region occurring in two separate time windows and probably reflecting two different stages of the underlying cognitive process. In addition, we found that scalp distribution of such activity differed among individuals, being the strongest activation of the left and right frontolateral sites related to high gf level. Finally, high- and low-gf participants showed different patterns in the modulation of regional connectivity (electrodes coherence in the range of 4.5-7.5. Hz) according to changes in attention load among types of trials. Our findings suggest that high-gf participants may rely upon effective engagement and modulation of attention resources to face interference.
KW - Attention
KW - Cognition
KW - Cortical synchronization
KW - Evoked potentials
KW - Executive function
KW - Problem solving
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UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84897090690&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2014.02.020
DO - 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2014.02.020
M3 - Article
C2 - 24582918
AN - SCOPUS:84897090690
VL - 93
SP - 146
EP - 153
JO - NeuroImage
JF - NeuroImage
SN - 1053-8119
IS - P1
ER -