ERP measures of anterior cingulate cortex activation

大脑的前扣带皮层（ACC）对注意力、情感和内脏信息的整合起着核心作用，在几个关键功能中起着核心作用，包括社会自我调节和自我监控一个人在任务中的表现。ACC激活的最强电生理反应是一种称为错误相关负性（ERN）的EEG反应。ERN是一种独特的脑电图信号，它与一个人意识到他们即将犯错误（比如按错按钮）有关，它已经成为一种非常流行的测量方法，因为它与ACC有关，而且相对容易获得。ERN的一个有趣的方面是，它与与绩效监控相关的特定人格特征有关，如强迫症和高水平的社会化，这些与较大的ERN有关，如冒险和寻求刺激，这些与较小的ERN有关。酒精消耗和消极情绪也会减弱这种影响，但当成功的表现得到更多的分数时，准确性的价值就会增加。它甚至与政治倾向有关，也许是通过对错误或信息冲突敏感的特征。本研究旨在探讨为什么人们产生的ERN大小不同，ERN与人格特质相关的潜在原因是什么，并通过理解这些关系来更好地理解ACC的功能。该研究将利用(1)脑波反应的某些方面，这些方面反映了大脑反应的不一致性和皮层网络的相互联系，(2)人对做出错误反应和正确反应的意识意识在多大程度上决定了ERN的大小及其与人格特质的关系，(3)遗传学对ACC反应的神经化学基础的贡献，(4)多巴胺奖励系统在调节前扣带皮层反应中的重要性，以及这是否是将ERN与人格特质联系起来的原因。

The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) of the brain is central to the integration of attentional, affective, and visceral information and plays a central role in several key functions, including social self-regulation and self-monitoring of one's performance on tasks. The single strongest electrophysiological reflection of ACC activation is an EEG response called the error-related negativity (ERN). The ERN is a distinctive EEG signal that is associated with a person realizing that they are about to make an error (such as pressing the wrong button), and it has become a very popular measure because of its association with the ACC and because it is relatively easy to obtain. One of the interesting aspects of the ERN is that it has been related to specific personality traits associated with performance monitoring, such as obsessive-compulsiveness and high levels of socialization which have been related to larger ERNs, and such as risk-taking and sensation-seeking which have been associated with smaller ERNs. It is also attenuated by alcohol consumption and negative affect but increased when the value of accuracy increases by giving more points for successful performance. It has even been related to political orientation, perhaps through the trait of being sensitive to errors or to informational conflict. The proposed research is designed to examine why it is that people differ on the size of the ERN they produce, what the underlying reasons are for the ERN to be related to personality traits, and to understand the functions of the ACC better through understanding these relations. The research will make use of (1) some aspects of brainwave responses that reflect brain response inconsistency and the interconnectedness of networks across the cortex, (2) the degree to which the person's conscious awareness of making incorrect versus correct responses accounts for ERN size and its relation to personality traits, (3) the contribution of genetics to the neurochemical basis for ACC responses, and (4) the importance of the dopamine reward system in regulating the responses of the ACC, and whether this is what links the ERN to personality traits.