Frustrating Feedback Effects on Error-Related Negativity (ERN) as a Dimensional Marker of Negative Affect

摘要

Objective: The Error-Related Negativity (ERN) is an event-related potential component characterised by a negative-going deflection in predominantly midline frontal and central scalp sites, appearing between 50-100 ms after the commission of an error. Heightened ERN is a potential physiological marker of an endophenotype encompassing several anxiety- and affect-related mental symptoms. In the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) dimensional matrix, such marker crosses three domains: sustained threat, performance monitoring and reward learning. In this exploratory study, we aimed to evaluate if ERN would interrelate with a manipulation of negative affect (frustration through negative feedback). Method: Ten adults with heterogeneous symptoms from a community sample responded to a modified Flanker task. The task comprised 7 blocks of 60 trials, and subjects received increasingly aversive negative feedback at the end of blocks 4, 5, and 6. Results: Our findings suggest that the number of errors increased after the introduction of negative feedback, and reaction times and ERN amplitudes diminished, possibly mediated by scores on the negative affect scale. Conclusions: This might suggest that underlying mechanisms, such as worry and rumination, may play a role in different negative affect disorders.