On the interrelation of 1/f neural noise and norepinephrine system activity during motor response inhibition

Abstract

Several lines of evidence suggest that there is a close interrelation between the degree of noise in neural circuits and the activity of the norepinephrine (NE) system, yet the precise nexus between these aspects is far from being understood during human information processing and cognitive control in particular. We examine this nexus during response inhibition in n = 47 healthy participants. Using high-density EEG recordings, we estimate neural noise by calculating “1/ f noise” of those data and integrate these EEG parameters with pupil diameter data as an established indirect index of NE system activity. We show that neural noise is reduced when cognitive control processes to inhibit a prepotent/automated response are exerted. These neural noise variations were confined to the theta frequency band, which has also been shown to play a central role during response inhibition and cognitive control. There were strong positive correlations between the 1 /f neural noise parameter and the pupil diameter data within the first 250 ms after the Nogo stimulus presentation at centro-parietal electrode sites. No such correlations were evident during automated responding on Go trials. Source localization analyses using standardized low-resolution brain electromagnetic tomography show that inferior parietal areas are activated in this time period in Nogo trials. The data suggest an interrelation of NE system activity and neural noise within early stages of information processing associated with inferior parietal areas when cognitive control processes are required. The data provide the first direct evidence for the nexus between NE system activity and the modulation of neural noise during inhibitory control in humans. NEW & NOTEWORTHY This is the first study showing that there is a nexus between norepinephrine system activity and the modulation of neural noise or scale-free neural activity during inhibitory control in humans. It does so by integrating pupil diameter data with analysis of EEG neural noise.

Spontaneous alpha and theta oscillations are related to complementary aspects of cognitive control in younger and older adults

“…and 1/f slope and theta are typically largest at frontocentral locations (Pertermann, Mückschel, Adelhöfer, Ziemssen, & Beste, 2019). This was confirmed by a review of topographical plots.…”

Shifts in broadband power and alpha peak frequency observed during long-term isolation

“…Thus, it would be reasonable to speculate that NA and the 1/f neural noise are interrelated. A recent study 38 could indeed provide evidence that NA as measured reliably by the pupil diameter 39 and the 1/f neural noise are correlated. Counterintuitively, however, they showed a positive correlation suggesting that higher levels of NA indicate a flatter power spectrum and stronger neural noise.…”

Passive perceptual learning modulates motor inhibitory control in superior frontal regions

“…Perceptual learning protocols likely affect gain control mechanisms by improving the signal‐to‐noise ratio (B. Dosher & Lu, ). Importantly, there is a close relation between signal‐to‐noise ratio and variability in neural processes (Bensmann, Roessner, Stock, & Beste, ; Buckley & Toyoizumi, ; Servan‐Schreiber et al, ; Yousif et al, ; Ziegler, Pedersen, Mowinckel, & Biele, ) that is also affecting inhibitory control (Pertermann, Mückschel, Adelhöfer, Ziemssen, & Beste, ). It is, therefore, important to consider intraindividual variability when being interested in the effects of protocols inducing neural plasticity on cognitive (control) processes.…”