Aperiodic neural activity reflects metacontrol

Cerebral Cortex, vol. 33, pp. 7941–7951

Abstract

Higher-level cognitive functions are mediated via complex oscillatory activity patterns and its analysis is dominating cognitive neuroscience research. However, besides oscillatory (period) activity, also aperiodic activity constitutes neural dynamics, but its relevance for higher-level cognitive functions is only beginning to be understood. The present study examined whether the broadband EEG aperiodic activity reflects principles of metacontrol. Metacontrol conceptualizes whether it is more useful to engage in more flexible processing of incoming information or to shield cognitive processes from incoming information (persistence-heavy processing). We examined EEG and behavioral data from a sample of n = 191 healthy participants performing a Simon Go/NoGo task that can be assumed to induce different metacontrol states (persistence-biased vs. flexibility-biased). Aperiodic activity was estimated using the FOOOF toolbox in the EEG power spectrum. There was a higher aperiodic exponent and offset in NoGo trials compared with Go trials, in incongruent (Go) trials compared with congruent (Go) trials. Thus, aperiodic activity increases during persistence-heavy processing, but decreases during flexibility-heavy processing. These findings link aperiodic features of the EEG signal and concepts describing the dynamics of how cognitive control modes are applied. Therefore, the study substantially extends the importance of aperiodic activity in understanding cognitive functions.

Authors 5

1. Chenyan Zhang Aachen Cognitive Psychology Unit Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition Institute of Psychology, Leiden University

   Leiden University

   Affiliation as printed

   Cognitive Psychology Unit, Leiden Institute for Brain & Cognition, Institute of Psychology, Leiden University , 2300 RA Leiden , Netherlands

2. Ann‐Kathrin Stock

   Stiftung Hochschulmedizin Dresden · Technische Universität Dresden

   Affiliation as printed

   Cognitive Neurophysiology , Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, , 01069 Dresden , Germany

   Technische Universität Dresden , Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, , 01069 Dresden , Germany

3. Moritz Mückschel

   Stiftung Hochschulmedizin Dresden · Technische Universität Dresden

   Affiliation as printed

   Cognitive Neurophysiology , Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, , 01069 Dresden , Germany

   Technische Universität Dresden , Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, , 01069 Dresden , Germany

4. Bernhard Hommel

   Shandong Normal University · Stiftung Hochschulmedizin Dresden · Technische Universität Dresden

   Affiliation as printed

   Cognitive Neurophysiology , Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, , 01069 Dresden , Germany

   School of Psychology, Shandong Normal University , 250061 Jinan , China

   Technische Universität Dresden , Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, , 01069 Dresden , Germany

5. Christian Beste corresponding

   Shandong Normal University · Stiftung Hochschulmedizin Dresden · Technische Universität Dresden

   Affiliation as printed

   Cognitive Neurophysiology , Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, , 01069 Dresden , Germany

   School of Psychology, Shandong Normal University , 250061 Jinan , China

   Technische Universität Dresden , Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, , 01069 Dresden , Germany