6.7.3 Event-Related Potentials (ERPs)

• What are Event-Related Potentials (ERPs)?

  Electrical potentials in the brain
• ERPs reflect the electrical activity of large neural populations that fire in response to a specific stimulus
• Match the characteristic of ERPs with its explanation:

  Definition ↔️ Electrical potentials triggered by specific events

  Measurement ↔️ Use of electrodes on the scalp

  Application ↔️ Cognitive research, clinical studies

  Advantages ↔️ Non-invasive, real-time measurement
• Steps involved in recording ERPs

  1️⃣ Electrode placement using a standardized system

  2️⃣ Signal acquisition from the brain

  3️⃣ Signal amplification to increase strength

  4️⃣ Filtering to remove unwanted noise

  5️⃣ Averaging multiple responses to the same stimulus

  6️⃣ Waveform analysis to identify components
• Averaging multiple responses in ERP recording helps distinguish the ERP signal from background brain activity
• Recording ERPs begins with preparing participants by placing electrodes on their scalp.
• What type of stimuli are often used in ERP studies?

  Visual or auditory
• In ERP recording, signal averaging is used to isolate the ERP signal from background EEG noise.
• Match the ERP component with its description:

  N100 ↔️ Early attention to visual stimuli

  P300 ↔️ Attention allocation and categorization
• What is the polarity of the N100 component in ERPs?

  Negative
• The P300 component in ERPs is associated with attention allocation and categorization.
• ERPs are primarily used for studying brain activity related to cognitive processes.
• How can ERPs aid in the diagnosis of affective disorders?

  By studying emotional stimuli
• What are Event-Related Potentials (ERPs)?

  Electrical potentials in the brain
• ERPs provide real-time insights into brain activity.
• One advantage of ERPs is their non-invasive nature
• What is a limitation of ERPs in measurement?

  Susceptible to noise
• The 10-20 system is used for electrode placement in ERP recording.
• Steps in the process of recording ERPs

  1️⃣ Electrode Placement

  2️⃣ Signal Acquisition

  3️⃣ Amplification

  4️⃣ Filtering

  5️⃣ Averaging

  6️⃣ Waveform Analysis
• ERP waveform components are positive and negative deflections associated with specific cognitive processes
• Match the ERP component with its cognitive process:

  N100 ↔️ Early attention

  P300 ↔️ Attention allocation and categorization
• The P300 component is often seen in response to infrequent stimuli.
• Why are ERPs considered cost-effective compared to other neuroimaging techniques?

  They use scalp electrodes
• One limitation of ERPs is their low spatial resolution
• ERPs are used in cognitive psychology to study attention allocation.
• Which ERP component is commonly used to study attention allocation?

  P300
• ERPs reflect the electrical activity of large neural populations that fire in response to a stimulus
• ERPs are electrical potentials triggered by specific events.
• How are ERPs measured?

  Electrodes on the scalp
• A key advantage of ERPs is their non-invasive
• ERPs require careful data analysis due to noise.
• What type of stimuli are often used in ERP studies?

  Emotional stimuli
• Steps involved in recording ERPs

  1️⃣ Prepare participants with electrodes on the scalp

  2️⃣ Present specific stimuli (e.g., visual or auditory)

  3️⃣ Record EEG data in response to stimuli

  4️⃣ Time-lock EEG data to stimulus onset

  5️⃣ Use signal averaging to isolate the ERP signal
• Electrodes are placed on the scalp to measure EEG activity during ERP recording.
• In ERP studies, participants are presented with specific stimuli
• The EEG data in ERP studies is time-locked to the stimulus onset.
• What technique is used to isolate the ERP signal from background EEG noise?

  Signal averaging
• ERP waveform components are associated with specific cognitive processes.
• Match the ERP component with its polarity and latency:

  N100 ↔️ Negative, 100 ms

  P300 ↔️ Positive, 300 ms
• What cognitive process is associated with the N100 component?

  Early attention