Enhanced P300 and pupil dilation differentiated high-impact from low-impact cognitive states

Poster Session A - Saturday, March 29, 2025, 3:00 – 5:00 pm EDT, Back Bay Ballroom/Republic Ballroom

Ling-Yu Huang¹ (beryl.ly.huang@gmail.com), Victoria Lyons², Brett Clementz³, Jennifer McDowell³; ¹Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, ²Boston University, ³The University of Georgia

To map the neural mechanisms underlying cognitive flexibility, multi-modal imaging and robust task designs together maximize internal validity of results. In this study, neurodynamics during different cognitive states were captured using EEG and pupillometry. The cognitive states examined were: 1) processing of high-impact vs. low-impact feedback, and 2) preparation to switch responses vs. repeat responses. We constructed set-shifting trials in which healthy participants (N = 25 mean age = 21.0 yrs, SD = 2.0 yrs) performed prosaccade, saccade inhibition, or antisaccade sets during simultaneous high-density EEG. Participants received visual post-trial feedback (“correct” or “incorrect”) to determine whether to change or repeat the same type of eye movement in the next trial. Each set lasted 5-8 trials; 52 sets were administered over 4 task runs. P300, the saliency marker, was higher in response to the first positive feedback received after a set shift (high-impact input) compared to positive feedback repeatedly received during a set (low-impact) (Cohen’s d = 1.1), though appearances of the feedback were identical. No feedback-related negativity (FRN) was predicted since positive feedback presented no conflict, and paired t-tests confirmed this hypothesis (d = 0.1). Greater pupil dilation was observed during fixation periods following negative feedback, compared to following positive feedback (F(2,69) = 9.31, p < 0.001). Current results indicate that despite identical sensory input, pupil and EEG could both differentiate scenarios when such input was more internally meaningful. Further analyses in-progress include calculating phase lag indices to discover directional connectivity during these cognitive states, and source analysis.

Topic Area: EXECUTIVE PROCESSES: Goal maintenance & switching