Burkhard Anja, Elmer Stefan, Kara Denis, Brauchli Christian, Jäncke Lutz
Department of Neuropsychology, Psychological Institute, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Dynamics of Healthy Aging, University Research Priority Program (URPP), University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Front Hum Neurosci. 2018 Jul 23;12:293. doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2018.00293. eCollection 2018.
The influence of background music on cognitive functions is still a matter of debate. In this study, we investigated the influence of background music on executive functions (particularly on inhibitory functions). Participants completed a standardized cued Go/NoGo task during three different conditions while an EEG was recorded (1: with no background music, 2: with relaxing, or 3: with exciting background music). In addition, we collected reaction times, omissions, and commissions in response to the Go and NoGo stimuli. From the EEG data, event-related potentials (ERPs) were calculated for the Go and NoGo trials. From these ERPs, the N2 and P3 components were specifically analyzed since previous studies have shown that these components (and particularly the Go-NoGo difference waves) are strongly associated with inhibitory functions. The N2 and P3 components of the difference waves (N2d and P3d) were used for statistical analyses. The statistical analyses revealed no differences between the three conditions in terms of amplitudes and latencies of the N2d and P3d components. In addition, reaction times, omissions, and commissions were comparable across all conditions. Our results suggest that in the context of this paradigm, music as background acoustic stimulation has no detrimental effects on the performance of a Go/NoGo task and neural underpinnings.
背景音乐对认知功能的影响仍是一个有争议的问题。在本研究中，我们调查了背景音乐对执行功能（特别是抑制功能）的影响。参与者在三种不同条件下完成了一项标准化的提示性Go/NoGo任务，同时记录脑电图（1：无背景音乐，2：有舒缓的背景音乐，或3：有激昂的背景音乐）。此外，我们收集了对Go和NoGo刺激的反应时间、遗漏和错误反应。从脑电图数据中，计算出Go和NoGo试验的事件相关电位（ERP）。由于先前的研究表明这些成分（特别是Go-NoGo差异波）与抑制功能密切相关，因此从这些ERP中专门分析了N2和P3成分。差异波的N2和P3成分（N2d和P3d）用于统计分析。统计分析显示，在N2d和P3d成分的幅度和潜伏期方面，三种条件之间没有差异。此外，所有条件下的反应时间、遗漏和错误反应都是可比的。我们的结果表明，在这种范式下，作为背景声学刺激的音乐对Go/NoGo任务的表现和神经基础没有不利影响。
