Temporospatial dissociation of Pe subcomponents for perceived and unperceived errors

Previous research on performance monitoring revealed that errors are followed by an initial fronto-central negative deflection (error-related negativity, ERN or Ne) and a subsequent centro-parietal positivity (error positivity, Pe). It has been shown that error awareness mainly influences the Pe, whereas the ERN seems unaffected by conscious awareness of an error. The aim of the present study was to investigate the relation of ERN and Pe to error awareness in a visual size discrimination task in which errors are not elicited by impulsive responding but by perceptual difficulty. Further, we applied a temporospatial principal component analysis (PCA) to examine whether the temporospatial subcomponents of the Pe would differentially relate to error awareness. Event-related potential (ERP) results were in accordance with earlier studies: a significant error awareness effect was found for the Pe, but not for the ERN. Interestingly, a modulation with error perception on correct trials was found: correct responses considered as incorrect had larger correct-related negativity (CRN) and lager Pe amplitudes than correct responses considered as correct. The PCA yielded two relevant spatial factors accounting for the Pe (latency 300 ms). A temporospatial factor characterized by a centro-parietal positivity varied significantly with error awareness. Of the two temporospatial factors corresponding to ERN and CRN, one factor with central topography varied with response correctness and subjective error perception on correct responses. The PCA results indicate that the error awareness effect is specifically related to the centro-parietal subcomponent of the Pe. Since this component has also been shown to be related to the importance of an error, the present variation with error awareness indicates that this component is sensitive to the salience of an error and that salience secondarily may trigger error awareness

Affective evaluation of errors and neural error processing in obsessive-compulsive disorder

Even though overactive error monitoring, indexed by enhanced amplitudes of the error-related negativity (ERN), is a potential biomarker for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), the mechanisms underlying clinical variations in ERN amplitude remain unknown. To investigate whether ERN enhancement in OCD results from altered error evaluation, we examined the trial-wise valence evaluation of errors and its relation to the ERN in 28 patients with OCD and 28 healthy individuals. Electroencephalogram was recorded during an affective priming paradigm in which responses in a go/no-go task were followed by valence-based word categorization. Results indicated that errors were followed by faster categorization of negative than positive words, confirming that negative valence is assigned to errors. This affective priming effect was reduced in patients with OCD, while go/no-go performance was comparable between groups. Notably, this reduction amplified with increasing symptom severity. These results suggest attenuated affective error evaluation in OCD, possibly resulting from interfering effects of anxiety. There was no evidence for a trial-level association between valence evaluation and ERN, implying that ERN amplitude does not reflect valence assignment to errors. Consequently, altered error monitoring in OCD may involve alterations in possibly distinct processes, with weaker assignment of negative valence to errors being one of them.Peer Reviewe

Associations of neural error-processing with symptoms and traits in a dimensional sample recruited across the obsessive–compulsive spectrum

The error-related negativity (ERN), a neural response to errors, has been associated with several forms of psychopathology and assumed to represent a neural risk marker for obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) and anxiety disorders. Yet, it is still unknown which specific symptoms or traits best explain ERN variation. This study investigated performance-monitoring in participants (N = 100) recruited across a spectrum of obsessive–compulsive characteristics (n = 26 patients with OCD; n = 74 healthy participants including n = 24 with low, n = 24 with medium, and n = 26 with high OC-characteristics). Several compulsivity- and anxiety-associated characteristics were assessed and submitted to exploratory principal axis factor analysis. Associations of raw measures and derived factors with ERN and correct-related negativity (CRN) were examined. Patients with OCD showed increased ERN amplitudes compared to healthy participants. The ERN was associated with a variety of traits related to anxiety and negative affect. Factor analysis results revealed a most prominent association of the ERN with a composite measure of anxiety and neuroticism, whereas the CRN was specifically associated with compulsivity. Results support differential associations for the ERN and CRN and demonstrate that a dimensional recruitment approach and use of composite measures can improve our understanding of characteristics underlying variation in neural performance monitoring.Peer Reviewe

Error-related brain activity as a transdiagnostic endophenotype for obsessive-compulsive disorder, anxiety and substance use disorder

Background Increased neural error-signals have been observed in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), anxiety disorders, and inconsistently in depression. Reduced neural error-signals have been observed in substance use disorders (SUD). Thus, alterations in error-monitoring are proposed as a transdiagnostic endophenotype. To strengthen this notion, data from unaffected individuals with a family history for the respective disorders are needed. Methods The error-related negativity (ERN) as a neural indicator of error-monitoring was measured during a flanker task from 117 OCD patients, 50 unaffected first-degree relatives of OCD patients, and 130 healthy comparison participants. Family history information indicated, that 76 healthy controls were free of a family history for psychopathology, whereas the remaining had first-degree relatives with depression (n = 28), anxiety (n = 27), and/or SUD (n = 27). Results Increased ERN amplitudes were found in OCD patients and unaffected first-degree relatives of OCD patients. In addition, unaffected first-degree relatives of individuals with anxiety disorders were also characterized by increased ERN amplitudes, whereas relatives of individuals with SUD showed reduced amplitudes. Conclusions Alterations in neural error-signals in unaffected first-degree relatives with a family history of OCD, anxiety, or SUD support the utility of the ERN as a transdiagnostic endophenotype. Reduced neural error-signals may indicate vulnerability for under-controlled behavior and risk for substance use, whereas a harm- or error-avoidant response style and vulnerability for OCD and anxiety appears to be associated with increased ERN. This adds to findings suggesting a common neurobiological substrate across psychiatric disorders involving the anterior cingulate cortex and deficits in cognitive control

Error-related activity of the sensorimotor network contributes to the prediction of response to cognitive-behavioral therapy in obsessive–compulsive disorder

Background Although cognitive behavioral therapy is a highly effective treatment for obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD), yielding large symptom reductions on the group level, individual treatment response varies considerably. Identification of treatment response predictors may provide important information for maximizing individual treatment response and thus achieving efficient treatment resource allocation. Here, we investigated the predictive value of previously identified biomarkers of OCD, namely the error-related activity of the supplementary motor area (SMA) and the sensorimotor network (SMN, postcentral gyrus/precuneus). Methods Seventy-two participants with a primary diagnosis of OCD underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scanning while performing a flanker task prior to receiving routine-care CBT. Results Error-related BOLD response of the SMN significantly contributed to the prediction of treatment response beyond the variance accounted for by clinical and sociodemographic variables. Stronger error-related SMN activity at baseline was associated with a higher likelihood of treatment response. Conclusions The present results illustrate that the inclusion of error-related SMN activity can significantly increase treatment response prediction quality in OCD. Stronger error-related activity of the SMN may reflect the ability to activate symptom-relevant processing networks and may thus facilitate response to exposure-based CBT interventions

Error-Related Brain Activity in Patients With Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and Unaffected First-Degree Relatives: Evidence for Protective Patterns

Background Indicators of increased error monitoring are associated with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), as shown in electroencephalography and functional magnetic resonance imaging studies. As most studies used strictly controlled samples (excluding comorbidity and medication), it remains open whether these findings extend to naturalistic settings. Thus, we assessed error-related brain activity in a large, naturalistic OCD sample. We also explored which activity patterns might qualify as vulnerability endophenotypes or protective factors for the disorder. To this aim, a sample of unaffected first-degree relatives of patients with OCD was also included. Methods Participants (84 patients with OCD, 99 healthy control participants, and 37 unaffected first-degree relatives of patients with OCD) completed a flanker task while blood oxygen level–dependent responses were measured with functional magnetic resonance imaging. Aberrant error-related brain activity in patients and relatives was identified. Results Patients with OCD showed increased error-related activity in the supplementary motor area and within the default mode network, specifically in the precuneus and postcentral gyrus. Unaffected first-degree relatives showed increased error-related activity in the bilateral inferior frontal gyrus. Conclusions Increased supplementary motor area and default mode network activity in patients with OCD replicates previous studies and might indicate excessive error signals and increased self-referential error processing. Increased activity of the inferior frontal gyrus in relatives may reflect increased inhibition. Impaired response inhibition in OCD has been demonstrated in several studies and might contribute to impairments in suppressing compulsive actions. Thus, increased inferior frontal gyrus activity in the unaffected relatives of patients with OCD may have contributed to protection from symptom development