The Pattern Flash Elicited P300-Complex (PF-P300): A New Method for Studying Cognitive Processes of the Brain

Abstract

For neurological purposes we developed a new method for eliciting P300-waves: Using two different kinds of checkerboard stimuli that were randomly flashed on a TV screen we obtained, besides the well-known usable primary complex, prominent PF-P300-complexes consisting of a marked negative potential (= N250), the PFP300a and the N400 peaks. These components could be related to different cognitive processes such as floating versus selective sustained attention and stimulus evaluation. N250 especially was shown to be closely related to different degrees of difficulty in visual discrimination. Further, the PFP300 components are test-retest reliable and sex-independent. Since they have relative small interindividual variabilities, we consider the N250- and PFP300a-latencies especially as well as the ascending PFP300a-amplitudes to be appropriate parameters for investigating diseases with cognitive disorders objectively.

The Event-Related P300 Potential Analysis of Cognitive Human Brain Aging: A Review

“…[16,70]. Hence, an exceptional position has been proposed for the N200 lying in between the earlier stimulus-dependent 'primary com plex' and the later stimulus-independent 'P300 complex' [62], In conclusion, it seems reasonable to think of the P300 rather as a complex of different components having their own characteristics with regard to latency, amplitude, topography and functional mean ing. From this point of view, we will also include these negative potentials (N200) in this review on age-related P300 changes, as far as appropriate data on this component are available.…”

“…In the different P300 paradigms, negative potentials immediately preceding the P300 component were observed by some investiga tors [20,62], These 'preceding negativities' were termed N200, and were shown to be closely linked to sensory discrimination pro cesses [62,69]. Their scalp distribution dif fered from that of the P300 by revealing a more modality-dependent topography [20,21], Furthermore, the earlier N200 was sug gested to be a closer estimate of a decision process that controls immediate behavior re sponses in sensory discrimination tasks.…”

“…The P300 potentials elicited by this kind of task-relevant stimuli are called P3b [58]. The P3b has maximal amplitudes over centroparietal scalp regions; its amplitude has been related to psychological constructs such as expectancy [8,9], task relevance [59][60][61] and selective attention [62], The latency of the P3b reflects processing time and stimulus evaluation time [11,12], In contrast to the P3b, the P3a is elicited in paradigms unexpectedly presenting task-nonrelevant stimuli. It has been linked to orient ing reactions and has maximum amplitudes over the frontocentral regions [58], The novel P3 [63] is elicited by sets of different, very complex stimuli having no similarities with each other and shows a frontal amplitude maximum and rapid habituation.…”

Policosanol, Reaction Time and Event-Related Potentials

“…CNV waves have been related to sustained attention and expectancy and their parameters vary with attention [1,8]. The P3 complex represents stimulus evaluation processes and is related to attentional allocation [2,29]. In the specific RT tests, an increase in the amplitude of these averaged waves is followed by a shorter latency to EMG activation of the index finger flexor muscle and by a reduced RT [24].…”

“…It is followed by the slow wave, slow potential oscillations representing supplementary elaboration. We identified this negative potential as N4 (N400) [29]. The duration of the P3 complex was calculated as the interval from N2 to N4.…”