High resolution event-related potentials analysis of the arithmetic-operation effect in mental arithmetic

• Published in: Clinical neurophysiology Vol. 122; no. 3; pp. 518 - 529
• Main Authors: Muluh, E.T., Vaughan, C.L., John, L.R.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier B.V 01.03.2011; Elsevier
• Subjects: Adolescent; Arithmetic-operation effect; Behavioral psychophysiology; Biological and medical sciences; Cognition - physiology; Data Interpretation, Statistical; Electrodiagnosis. Electric activity recording; Electroencephalography; Electrophysiology; Event-related potentials; Event-Related Potentials, P300 - physiology; Evoked Potentials - physiology; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; High-frequency ERP; Humans; Investigative techniques, diagnostic techniques (general aspects); Low-frequency ERP; Male; Medical sciences; Mental arithmetic processing; Mental Processes - physiology; Nervous system; Neurology; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Psychomotor Performance - physiology; Reaction Time - physiology; Young Adult; High-frequency ERP; Event-related potentials; Arithmetic-operation effect; Mental arithmetic processing; Low-frequency ERP; Human; High resolution; Arithmetics; Electrophysiology; Slow potential; P300 potential; Low frequency; Electrodiagnosis; Subtraction; Modulation; Strategy; High frequency; Event evoked potential
• ISSN: 1388-2457; 1872-8952; 1872-8952
• DOI: 10.1016/j.clinph.2010.08.008

Early, late and slow waves of event-related potentials (erps) appearing around 0–300ms, 300–500ms and after 500ms respectively post-question presentation have been differentially associated to mental arithmetic processing (MAP). We hypothesized that arithmetic-operation effect (AOE) will show greater modulation of early components (P100, P200) in high-frequency erps; late components (P300, N300) and slow waves in low-frequency ERP when large-size problems are employed. Fourteen normal human subjects mentally processed large- and small-size addition, division, multiplication and subtraction problems. Spatiotemporal differences between these arithmetic-operations were studied by way of comparing amplitudes and latencies of early, late and slow waves. All components were modulated by AOE. Modulated was observed as early as 100ms post-question presentation (in high-frequency ERP components). AOE was very pronounced in large-size problems (in low-frequency ERP components). Results suggest that modulation by AOE of ERP components is improved when large-size problems and low-frequency ERP components are employed. Thus, differentiation of neuropsychological processes manifested by amplitude and latency of ERP components may be best studied by first separating components into high- and low-frequency erps. Findings raise the potential of obtaining ERP indices that may improve findings about the degree (and time) of engagement of cognitive processes (e.g. Strategy employed in MAP).