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In daily activities, humans must attend and respond to a range of important items and inhibit and not respond to unimportant distractions. Our current understanding of these processes is largely based on perceptually simple stimuli. This study investigates the interaction of conceptual-semantic categorization and inhibitory processing using Event Related Potentials (ERPs). Participants completed three Go-NoGo tasks that increased systematically in the degree of conceptual-semantic information necessary to respond correctly (from single items to categories of objects and animals). Findings indicate that the N2 response reflects inhibitory processing but does not change significantly with task difficulty. The P3 NoGo amplitude, on the other hand, is attenuated by task difficulty. Further, the latency of the peak of the P3 NoGo response elicited by the most difficult task is significantly later than are the peaks detected during performance of the other two tasks. Thus, the level of complexity of conceptual-semantic representations influences inhibitory processing in a systematic way. This inhibition paradigm may be a key for investigating inhibitory dysfunction in patient populations. KeywordsEvent Related Potentials; inhibition; N2-P3; Go-NoGo; object-animal categorization; visual categorization; conceptual difficulty Everyday functioning requires the ability to successfully inhibit irrelevant stimuli, thoughts, and behaviors (Logan & Cowan, 1984;Posner & DiGirolamo, 1998). To date, research on Corresponding Author: Mandy J. Maguire, Ph.D., Callier Center for Communication Disorders, University of Texas at Dallas, 1966 Inwood Rd., Dallas, TX 75235, mandy.maguire@utdallas.edu, Phone: (214) Fax: (214)905-3006. Publisher's Disclaimer: This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final citable form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain. NIH Public Access Author ManuscriptBrain Cogn. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2010 December 1. Published in final edited form as:Brain Cogn. 2009 December ; 71(3): 196-203. doi:10.1016/j.bandc.2009.018. NIH-PA Author ManuscriptNIH-PA Author Manuscript NIH-PA Author Manuscript response inhibition has started to localize some of the basic neural processes associated with this behavior (Folstein & van Petten, 2008or Mostofsky & Simmonds, 2008 for review). However, despite the real world implications of successful and unsuccessful inhibition, as reported in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (Barkley, 1997; Luu & Tucker, 2002) and healthy aging (Hasher & Quig, 1997), little work has focused on how response inhibition changes as tasks become conceptually more abstract: for example, knowing to stop the car...

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Most people with Alzheimer's disease and their families receive care in primary care. This article describes an integrated model of Alzheimer's disease care in a primary care setting serving a predominantly ethnic minority population. This model included: a comprehensive screening and diagnosis process; a multidisciplinary team approach to care, coordinated by a geriatric advanced practice nurse; and a proactive, longitudinal tracking system. The psychosocial intervention included specific responses to the treatment and management of behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia, including caregiver directed interventions and pharmacological treatment if needed. Results suggest that this type of model can be implemented in primary care, particularly with the involvement of geriatric advanced practice nurses who can effectively manage the complex nature of Alzheimer's disease.