Intracerebral Error-Related Negativity in a Simple Go/NoGo Task

Abstract: Performance monitoring represents a critical executive function of the human brain. In an effort to identify its anatomical and physiological aspects, a negative component of event-related potentials (ERPs), which occurs only on incorrect trials, has been used in the extensive investigation of error processing. This component has been termed “error-negativity” (Ne) or error-related negativity (ERN) and has been interpreted as a correlate of error detection. The aim of the present intracerebral ERP study was to contribute knowledge of the sources of the Ne/ERN, with a particular focus on the involvement of a frontomedian wall (FMW) in the genesis of this negativity. Seven patients with intractable epilepsy participated in the study. Depth electrodes were implanted to localize the seizure origin prior to surgical treatment. A total of 574 sites in the frontal, temporal, and parietal lobes were investigated. A simple Go/NoGo task was performed and EEG epochs with correct and erroneous motor responses were averaged independently using the response as the trigger. Ne/ERN was generated in multiple cortical structures, with the most consistent involvement being that of the FMW structures. Ne/ERN generators were revealed there in both the rostral and caudal anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), but also in the pre-SMA and in the parts of the medial frontal gyrus adjacent to the ACC. Different timing of activations between the rostral and caudal anterior cingulate Ne/ERN sources was observed in this study. Other neural sources of the Ne/ERN were found in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, in the orbitofrontal cortex, in the lateral temporal neocortex, and in one isolated case in the supramarginal gyrus. Our findings support the key role of the FMW in the genesis of Ne/ERN. At the same time, our findings suggest a different functional significance for the rostral and caudal ACC involvement in error processing. In addition to the FMW, the other prefrontal cortical sites, the lateral temporal neocortex, and the supramarginal gyrus seem to represent integral components of the brain's error monitoring system.