Differing Event-Related Patterns of Gamma-Band Power in Brain Waves of Fast-and Slow-Reacting Subjects

Relationships between pre-stimulus gamma power and subsequent P300 and reaction time breakdown in schizophrenia

“…We interpret these findings as evidence that gamma power enhancement reflects a state of greater pre-stimulus preparation resulting in fuller evaluation of the target stimulus and therefore slower RT, as proposed by Jokeit and Makieg (1994). Consistent with previous research, schizophrenia patients exhibited RT slowing and P300 amplitude reductions relative to controls.…”

“…Healthy subjects will show a positive relationship between pre-stimulus gamma power and RT, also consistent with prior reports utilizing auditory target detection paradigms (Jokeit and Makeig, 1994; Yordanova et al, 2001). Additionally, healthy subjects will exhibit a positive correlation between pre-stimulus gamma power and P300 amplitude, reflecting the role of gamma oscillations during states of attention and expectancy (Engel et al, 2001; Tallon-Baudry et al, 2005).…”

“…These studies have been primarily concerned with the stages of information processing following the onset of a stimulus, highlighting the role of greater gamma power for faster responses as measured by reaction time (RT) (Frund et al, 2007; Jokeit and Makeig, 1994; Schadow et al, 2009) and enhanced performance efficiency as measured by response accuracy (Kaiser et al, 2008a; Kaiser et al, 2008b). Robust correlations have also been shown between shorter post-stimulus gamma-band peak-latency and faster RT in auditory oddball (Haig et al, 1999; Jokeit and Makeig, 1994), and early and late visual Gestalt pattern processing (Schadow et al, 2009), as well as predicting recognition delays in object identification tasks (Martinovic et al, 2008; Martinovic et al, 2007). Evidence from the non-human primate literature further supports the view that greater post-stimulus gamma oscillations and shortened neuronal response latencies may be advantageous for faster information processing and classification processes (e.g.…”

“…Although some relationships have been demonstrated between pre-stimulus gamma activity and performance speed in healthy humans (Gonzalez Andino et al, 2005; Jokeit and Makeig, 1994; Yordanova et al, 2001) and non-human primates (Womelsdorf et al, 2006), no such studies have addressed these relationships in patients with schizophrenia, despite the contribution such analyses could make to our understanding of the illness. For example, because neural information processing is an interaction between incoming data and the transitory brain state (which might include dimensions such as arousal, emotion, and attention), study of brain states preceding stimulus onset might target the seed point of abnormal processing in schizophrenia and account for a range of experiments where behavioral and ERP abnormalities have been observed in schizophrenia patients.…”

“…(Debener et al, 2003; Frund et al, 2007)), or phase-asynchronous increases or decreases in EEG total power (e.g. (Cho et al, 2006; Jokeit and Makeig, 1994)). However, given our aim to study state-related activity preceding the stimulus, it was important for us to focus on the changes in asynchronous power rather than stimulus-evoked activity as done by others (e.g.…”