Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

ERPs in Controls and ADHD Patients During Dual N-Back Task

  • Conference paper
  • First Online:
Advances in Cognitive Neurodynamics (VII) (ICCN2019 2019)

Part of the book series: Advances in Cognitive Neurodynamics ((ICCN))

  • 448 Accesses

Abstract

Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a behavioral disorder of childhood and adolescence characterized by symptoms that include impulsiveness, inattention, hyperactivity, impaired decision making, and primary deficits of executive functions. In a vast proportion of the diagnosed adolescents, the clinical symptoms may persist into adulthood and ADHD patients are characterized by Working Memory (WM) impairment. In the present study, we analyze brain dynamics by EEG recordings during the dual n-back task in a population of young adults with ADHD and healthy controls. The WM capacity and attention span are tested by n-back task, and divided attention is tested by running the task in the visual and auditory modalities concurrently. We analyzed the event-related potentials (ERPs) triggered by the onset of the audio-visual stimuli. In ADHD the amplitude of N200 wave component was only slightly reduced and the peak latency was unaffected. The amplitude of P300 peak was reduced in ADHD with respect to controls at all sites along the midline. The latency of P300 peak in ADHD was reduced at Fz and Cz. In particular, at Fz the latency of ADHD was reduced after a response that required matching the visual cue 1 or 2 trials back in time. These results support the hypothesis that the P300 component, associated with a cognitive workload, peaked earlier in the ADHD than in controls and it may be used to follow the outcome of cognitive training.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 229.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 299.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • American Psychiatric Association (APA). (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th, text rev. edition). American Psychiatric Association.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ansari, S. (2015). The therapeutic potential of working memory training for treating mental disorders. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 9, 481.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Au, J., Sheehan, E., Tsai, N., Duncan, G. J., Buschkuehl, M., & Jaeggi, S. M. (2015). Improving fluid intelligence with training on working memory: A meta-analysis. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 22(2), 366–377.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barker, R. M., & Bialystok, E. (2019). Processing differences between monolingual and bilingual young adults on an emotion n-back task. Brain and Cognition, 134, 29–43.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Barkley, R. A., & Fischer, M. (2010). The unique contribution of emotional impulsiveness to impairment in major life activities in hyperactive children as adults. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 49(5), 503–513.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Barry, R. J., Clarke, A. R., & Johnstone, S. J. (2003). A review of electrophysiology in Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: I. Qualitative and quantitative electroencephalography. Clinical Neurophysiology, 114(2), 171–183.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bayerl, M., Dielentheis, T. F., Vucurevic, G., Gesierich, T., Vogel, F., Fehr, C., et al. (2010). Disturbed brain activation during a working memory task in drug-Naive adult patients with ADHD. Neuroreport, 21(6), 442–446.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bédard, A.-C. V., Newcorn, J. H., Clerkin, S. M., Krone, B., Fan, J., Halperin, J. M., et al. (2014). Reduced prefrontal efficiency for visuospatial working memory in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 53(9), 1020–1030.e6.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Blacker, K. J., Negoita, S., Ewen, J. B., & Courtney, S. M. (2017). N-back versus complex span working memory training. Journal of Cognitive Enhancement, 1(4), 434–454.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Brouwer, A.-M., Hogervorst, M. A., van Erp, J. B. F., Heffelaar, T., Zimmerman, P. H., & Oostenveld, R. (2012). Estimating workload using EEG spectral power and ERPs in the n-back task. Journal of Neural Engineering, 9(4), 045008.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Chuang, K.-Y., Chen, Y.-H., Balachandran, P., Liang, W.-K., & Juan, C.-H. (2019). Revealing the electrophysiological correlates of working memory-load effects in symmetry span task with HHT method. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 855.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Conners, C. K., Erhardt, D., & Sparrow, E. (1999). Conner’s adult ADHD rating scales: Technical manual. Multi-Health Systems Incorporated (MHS).

    Google Scholar 

  • Dong, S., Reder, L. M., Yao, Y., Liu, Y., & Chen, F. (2015). Individual differences in working memory capacity are reflected in different ERP and EEG patterns to task difficulty. Brain Research, 1616, 146–156.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Elosúa, M. R., Del Olmo, S., & Contreras, M. J. (2017). Differences in executive functioning in children with attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Frontiers in Psychology, 8, 976.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Epstein, J. N., Langberg, J. M., Rosen, P. J., Graham, A., Narad, M. E., Antonini, T. N., et al. (2011). Evidence for higher reaction time variability for children with ADHD on a range of cognitive tasks including reward and event rate manipulations. Neuropsychology, 25(4), 427–441.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Faraone, S. V., Asherson, P., Banaschewski, T., Biederman, J., Buitelaar, J. K., Ramos-Quiroga, J. A., et al. (2015). Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Nature Reviews Disease Primers, 1, 15020.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Feige, B., Biscaldi, M., Saville, C. W. N., Kluckert, C., Bender, S., Ebner-Priemer, U., et al. (2013). On the temporal characteristics of performance variability in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). PLoS One, 8(10), e69674.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Folstein, J. R., & Van Petten, C. (2008). Influence of cognitive control and mismatch on the N2 component of the ERP: A review. Psychophysiology, 45(1), 152–170.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Forns, J., Esnaola, M., López-Vicente, M., Suades-González, E., Alvarez-Pedrerol, M., Julvez, J., et al. (2014). The n-back test and the attentional network task as measures of child neuropsychological development in epidemiological studies. Neuropsychology, 28(4), 519–529.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fumeaux, P., Mercier, C., Roche, S., Iwaz, J., Bader, M., Stéphan, P., et al. (2016). Validation of the French version of Conners’ Parent Rating Scale Revised, short version: Factorial structure and reliability. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 61(4), 236–242.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Gevins, A., & Smith, M. E. (2000). Neurophysiological measures of working memory and individual differences in cognitive ability and cognitive style. Cerebral Cortex, 10(9), 829–839.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Jaeggi, S. M., Buschkuehl, M., Jonides, J., & Perrig, W. J. (2008). Improving fluid intelligence with training on working memory. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 105(19), 6829–6833.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Jung, T.-P., Humphries, C., Lee, T.-W., Makeig, S., McKeown, M. J., Iragui, V., & Sejnowsk, T. J. (1997). Extended ICA removes artifacts from electroencephalographic recordings. In Proceedings of the 10th International Conference on Neural Information Processing Systems, NIPS’97 (pp. 894–900). MIT Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Karatekin, C., Bingham, C., & White, T. (2009). Regulation of cognitive resources during an n-back task in youth-onset psychosis and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). International Journal of Psychophysiology, 73(3), 294–307.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Kasper, L. J., Alderson, R. M., & Hudec, K. L. (2012). Moderators of working memory deficits in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): A meta-analytic review. Clinical Psychology Review, 32(7), 605–617.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Käthner, I., Wriessnegger, S. C., Müller-Putz, G. R., Kübler, A., & Halder, S. (2014). Effects of mental workload and fatigue on the P300, alpha and theta band power during operation of an ERP (P300) brain-computer interface. Biological Psychology, 102, 118–129.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Keshavan, M. S., Vinogradov, S., Rumsey, J., Sherrill, J., & Wagner, A. (2014). Cognitive training in mental disorders: Update and future directions. American Journal of Psychiatry, 171(5), 510–522.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kim, S., & Kim, M.-S. (2016). Deficits in verbal working memory among college students with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder traits: An event-related potential study. Clinical Psychopharmacology and Neuroscience, 14(1), 64–73.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Lilienthal, L., Tamez, E., Shelton, J. T., Myerson, J., & Hale, S. (2013). Dual n-back training increases the capacity of the focus of attention. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 20(1), 135–141.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu, Z.-X., Glizer, D., Tannock, R., & Woltering, S. (2016). EEG alpha power during maintenance of information in working memory in adults with ADHD and its plasticity due to working memory training: A randomized controlled trial. Clinical Neurophysiology, 127(2), 1307–1320.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lövdén, M., Bäckman, L., Lindenberger, U., Schaefer, S., & Schmiedek, F. (2010). A theoretical framework for the study of adult cognitive plasticity. Psychological Bulletin, 136(4), 659–676.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mahncke, H. W., Bronstone, A., & Merzenich, M. M. (2006). Brain plasticity and functional losses in the aged: Scientific bases for a novel intervention. Progress in Brain Research, 157, 81–109.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Massat, I., Slama, H., Kavec, M., Linotte, S., Mary, A., Baleriaux, D., et al. (2012). Working memory-related functional brain patterns in never medicated children with ADHD. PLoS One, 7(11), e49392.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • McEvoy, L. K., Smith, M. E., & Gevins, A. (1998). Dynamic cortical networks of verbal and spatial working memory: Effects of memory load and task practice. Cerebral Cortex, 8(7), 563–574.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mesrobian, S. K. (2015). Does working memory training affect decision making?: A neuroeconomic study. PhD thesis, Faculty of Medicine and Biology, University of Lausanne.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mesrobian, S. K., Lintas, A., Jacquerod, M., Bader, M., Götte, L., & Villa, A. E. (2018a). An ERP study reveals how training with dual n-back task affects risky decision making in a gambling task in ADHD Patients. In J. M. Delgado-García, X. Pan, R. Sánchez-Campusano, & R. Wang (Eds.), Advances in cognitive neurodynamics (VI) (Chap. 34, pp. 271–277). Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mesrobian, S. K., Villa, A. E. P., Bader, M., Götte, L., & Lintas, A. (2018b). Event-related potentials during a gambling task in young adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 12, 79.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Mies, G. W., Moors, P., Sonuga-Barke, E. J., van der Oord, S., Wiersema, J. R., Scheres, A., et al. (2018). A pilot study of behavioral, physiological, and subjective responses to varying mental effort requirements in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Frontiers in Psychology, 9, 2769.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mun, S., Whang, M., Park, S., & Park, M.-C. (2017). Effects of mental workload on involuntary attention: A somatosensory ERP study. Neuropsychologia, 106, 7–20.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Oelhafen, S., Nikolaidis, A., Padovani, T., Blaser, D., Koenig, T., & Perrig, W. J. (2013). Increased parietal activity after training of interference control. Neuropsychologia, 51(13), 2781–27890.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • R Core Team. (2013). R: A language and environment for statistical computing. R Foundation for Statistical Computing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Roberts, W., Milich, R., & Fillmore, M. T. (2012). Constraints on information processing capacity in adults with ADHD. Neuropsychology, 26(6), 695–703.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Rogers, M., Hwang, H., Toplak, M., Weiss, M., & Tannock, R. (2011). Inattention, working memory, and academic achievement in adolescents referred for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Child Neuropsychology, 17(5), 444–458.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Roy, R. N., Charbonnier, S., Campagne, A., & Bonnet, S. (2016). Efficient mental workload estimation using task-independent EEG features. Journal of Neural Engineering, 13(2), 026019.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Salminen, T., Frensch, P., Strobach, T., & Schubert, T. (2016). Age-specific differences of dual n-back training. Neuropsychology, Development, and Cognition. Section B, Aging, Neuropsychology and Cognition, 23(1), 18–39.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schecklmann, M., Ehlis, A.-C., Plichta, M. M., Dresler, T., Heine, M., Boreatti-Hümmer, A., et al. (2013). Working memory and response inhibition as one integral phenotype of adult ADHD? A behavioral and imaging correlational investigation. Journal of Attention Disorders, 17(6), 470–482.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sonuga-Barke, E., Brandeis, D., Holtmann, M., & Cortese, S. (2014). Computer-based cognitive training for ADHD: A review of current evidence. Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 23(4), 807–824.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Stroux, D., Shushakova, A., Geburek-Höfer, A. J., Ohrmann, P., Rist, F., & Pedersen, A. (2016). Deficient interference control during working memory updating in adults with ADHD: An event-related potential study. Clinical Neurophysiology, 127(1), 452–463.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Venables, W. N., & Ripley, B. D. (2002). Modern applied statistics with S. Statistics and computing (4th ed., 498 pp.). Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vinogradov, S., Fisher, M., & de Villers-Sidani, E. (2012). Cognitive training for impaired neural systems in neuropsychiatric illness. Neuropsychopharmacology, 37(1), 43–76.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Watter, S., Geffen, G. M., & Geffen, L. B. (2001). The n-back as a dual-task: P300 morphology under divided attention. Psychophysiology, 38(6), 998–1003.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wilcox, R., & Schönbrodt, F. (2016). A package of RR Wilcox’ robust statistics functions. R package version 0.30. https://github.com/nicebread/WRS/tree/master/pkg.

  • World Medical Association. (2013). World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki: Ethical principles for medical research involving human subjects. JAMA, 310(20), 2191–2194.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This study was supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation (grant CR 1311-138032). We thank Damiano Cereghetti for his technical contribution to the computer implementation of the n-back task.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. NeuroHeuristic Research Group, University of Lausanne, Internef 138, Quartier UNIL-Chamberonne, 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland

    Alessandra Lintas, Sarah K. Mesrobian & Alessandro E. P. Villa

  2. LABEX, HEC Lausanne, Faculty of Law, Criminal Justice and Public Administration, University of Lausanne, Quartier UNIL-Chamberonne, 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland

    Alessandro E. P. Villa

  3. Research Unit of the University Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (SUPEA), CHUV University Hospital and Faculty of Biology and Medicine, University of Lausanne, 1004, Lausanne, Switzerland

    Michel Bader

Authors
  1. Alessandra Lintas
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Sarah K. Mesrobian
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Michel Bader
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Alessandro E. P. Villa
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. HEC LABEX & ISI Complexity Science Group, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Vaud, Switzerland

    Alessandra Lintas

  2. Dipartimento di Scienze biomediche, Università degli Studi di Sassari, Sassari, Sassari, Italy

    Paolo Enrico

  3. Institute for Cognitive Neurodynamics, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, Shanghai, China

    Xiaochuan Pan

  4. Institute for Cognitive Neurodynamics, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, Shanghai, China

    Rubin Wang

  5. NeuroHeuristic Research Group, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Vaud, Switzerland

    Alessandro Villa

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2021 Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

About this paper

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this paper

Lintas, A., Mesrobian, S.K., Bader, M., Villa, A.E.P. (2021). ERPs in Controls and ADHD Patients During Dual N-Back Task. In: Lintas, A., Enrico, P., Pan, X., Wang, R., Villa, A. (eds) Advances in Cognitive Neurodynamics (VII). ICCN2019 2019. Advances in Cognitive Neurodynamics. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-0317-4_20

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation