Disentangling associations between impulsivity, compulsivity and
performance monitoring
Abstract
Disorders marked by high levels of impulsivity and compulsivity have
been linked to changes in performance monitoring, specifically the
error-related negativity (ERN). We investigated the relationship between
performance monitoring and individual differences in impulsivity and
compulsivity. A total of 142 participants were recruited into four
groups, each with different combinations of impulsivity and
compulsivity, and they performed a flanker task to assess error-related
brain activity. We defined error-related brain activity as ERN amplitude
and theta power. Single trial regression was employed to analyze the
amplitude differences between incorrect and correct trials within the
ERN time window. The findings revealed that impulsivity, compulsivity
and different measures of response processing exhibited distinct
interactions, which were influenced by the configuration of impulsivity
and compulsivity, but also depending on the measure of response
processing. Specifically, high compulsivity predicted larger ERN
amplitudes in individuals with low impulsivity, whereas high impulsivity
had no effect on ERN amplitude in individuals with low compulsivity.
Furthermore, when both impulsivity and compulsivity were high, no
increase in ERN amplitude was observed; instead, there was a reduced
difference between incorrect and correct trials. No significant
differences were found for theta power. While the association between
error-related brain activity and transdiagnostic markers or
psychopathology may be smaller than generally assumed, considering the
interaction between different transdiagnostic markers and their facets
can enhance our understanding of the complex associations that arise
during the investigation of neural correlates of performance monitoring,
specifically the ERN.