The error-related negativity (ERN/Ne) is a sharp negative deflection in the
event-related brain potential (ERP), maximal at FCz, that occurs approximately
50-150 ms after the execution of an incorrect response.
The neural source of the ERN is been frequently attributed to the
anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and a recent fMRI study has suggested that this
source may be in the dorsal ‘affective’ subdivision of the ACC.
This raises the possibility that the ERN may be related to affective or
motivational aspects of response monitoring.
Functionally, the ACC is part of a fronto-striatal circuit that has been
implicated in the pathophysiology of many anxiety disorders.
In support of this, the ERN has been shown to be significantly enhanced
in patients with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), as well as in college
undergraduates with OC characteristics, findings that are consistent with the
notion that OCD symptoms are related to hyperactive response monitoring. We extended these results by measuring the ERN in 67 college
students who reported either general or specific fears, as assessed by the Penn
State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ) and a combined Snakes and Spiders Questionnaire
(SNQ/SPQ). Response-locked ERPs
collected during a modified Stroop test revealed a sharp fronto-central
negativity that was associated with errors.
Whether error trials were compared to all correct trials or only to a
subset of correct trials matched to error trials on the basis of RT, the ERN was
significantly larger in the worry group than in either of the other two groups.
Our results suggest that within the spectrum of anxiety disorders, an
enhanced ERN may not be specific to OCD. Rather,
ERN amplitude may be related to broader constructs such as perfectionism or
general negative affectivity that may characterize some (e.g., OCD, GAD), but
not all patients with anxiety disorders, and may extend to patients outside the
anxiety spectrum.
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