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نمایش مقاله

Title:

The Role of N2 and P3 Components in Attention Processing and Organization: Evidence from Event-Related Potentials

Subject:

Cognitive-Social Applications of Brain Mapping, such as talent identification, neuroleadership, and neurocognitive recruitment

Presenter Author:
Name:	Sahar Mohammadzadeh

Author:
Name 1:	Sahar Mohammadzadeh - Corresponding - Presenter
Affiliation 1:	Department of Sport Science, School of Humanities, Damghan University, Damghan 3671645667, Iran

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Abstract

Original Research

introduction :

Attention is a fundamental cognitive function enabling individuals to prioritize relevant information while filtering out distractions. The attention network model proposes three interacting neural systems: the alerting network maintains readiness, the orienting network directs attention toward specific locations, and the executive control network manages conflict between competing responses (Petersen & Posner, 2012). Recent meta-analytic evidence has confirmed the robustness of these networks across the lifespan, demonstrating their developmental stability and individual differences (Arora et al., 2022). Event-related potentials provide valuable insight into the temporal dynamics of these networks. The N2 component, occurring 200-350 ms post-stimulus, reflects conflict detection and response monitoring. The P3 component, appearing between 300-600 ms, relates to attentional resource allocation and decision-making (Twomey et al., 2015). This study examined how these components relate to different attention networks.

Methods:

Twenty healthy young adults completed a modified Attention Network Test combining cueing conditions with a flanker task. The task assessed alerting, orienting, and executive control networks simultaneously. Participants responded to the direction of a central arrow while ignoring flanking arrows. Three cue types (no cue, double cue, spatial cue) and two target conditions (congruent and incongruent) were presented. ERP data were recorded and analyzed, focusing on N2 at frontocentral sites and P3 at centroparietal sites.

Results:

Behavioral results showed significant differences across attention networks, with executive control producing the largest effect. Reaction times were slower and error rates higher during incongruent trials compared to congruent trials. The N2 component exhibited larger amplitudes and delayed latencies in incongruent trials, particularly at frontocentral electrode sites. Cue type also influenced N2 amplitude, indicating that attentional preparation modulates early conflict processing. The P3 component showed larger amplitudes in congruent trials, suggesting greater attentional resources were available when task demands were lower. P3 latency was significantly prolonged in incongruent conditions, reflecting increased time required for decision-making under conflict.

Conclusion:

The findings reveal that N2 and P3 operate in a sequential temporal cascade. N2 functions as an early indicator of conflict detection, consistent with research linking it to medial frontal regions involved in performance monitoring (Huster et al., 2013). Recent neurophysiological studies have further demonstrated that N2 amplitude reflects inhibitory control mechanisms that are compromised in various clinical conditions, highlighting its importance as a neural marker of executive function (Stock et al., 2021). P3 reflects later decision-related processes, aligning with models proposing it encodes a build-to-threshold decision process (Twomey et al., 2015). This coordinated interaction provides neural evidence for stage-based models of attention and cognitive control. Understanding these temporal dynamics has important implications for improving assessments of attentional functioning and identifying neural markers of attentional impairments in clinical populations.

Keywords:

Attention networks, ERP, Cognitive control