On the Comparison Between the Nc/CRN and the Ne/ERN

Abstract

After the Error Negativity (Ne or ERN) has been described on full-blown errors and on partial error, a smaller Error Negativity-like wave (CRN or Nc) has also been evidenced on correct trials, first in patients with schizophrenia and, later on, in healthy subjects. The functional significance of the Nc as compared to the Ne is of critical importance since most models accounting for the genesis of the Ne on errors and partial errors cannot account for the existence of the Nc if this Nc simply corresponds to a small Ne. On the contrary, if the Nc and the Ne are two completely distinct components, then the existence of a Nc poses no constraint to the existing models. To this end, we examine in the present review the similarities and the differences existing between the Ne and the Nc regarding their functional properties and their anatomical origin.

Keywords: Nc/CRN; Ne/ERN; action monitoring; anterior cingulate cortex; errors; supplementary motor areas.

FIGURE 1

Scalp potential (average reference) and Laplacian (or Current Source Density: CSD) distributions produced at scalp level by a positive medial parietal dipolar source positioned at: x = 0; y = –30, z = 35 (orientation: x = 0, y = –0.4, z = 0.4) in MNI coordinates, and a medial frontal source positioned at: x = 0, y = 0, z = 50 (orientation: x = 0, y = 0.1, z = 1) in MNI coordinates. Left panel: the intensity of the parietalsource is set at 40 mA/m3 and that of the frontal one at –20 mA/m3. Right, panel: the intensity of the parietal source is set at 40 mA/m3 and that of the frontal one at –10 mA/m3 [adapted from Vidal et al. (2015)].

FIGURE 2

Recording sites in the medial wall. The two red vertical bars represent the vertical commissure anterior (VCA) line and the vertical commissure posterior (VCP) line. A cluster of performance-sensitive sites (colored dots) is located behind the VCA line, in the supplementary motor area (SMA) (caudal cluster). Other performance-sensitive sites are more widespread in the rostral part of the medial prefrontal cortex (electrodes anterior to VCA) and respond later, on errors only. Averaged EMG-locked Local Field Potentials (LFPs) recorded from the SMA are displayed for each participant: The largest LFP is evoked after overt errors (blue); a smaller LFP is evoked after partial errors (red); and an even smaller LFP is evoked on correct responses (black). Colored bands represent between-trials confidence intervals set to 0.05. Individual MRI and CT fusion is also shown for each subject indicating, in coronal view, the trajectory of the performance-sensitive electrode. All these electrodes were clearly located above the calloso-marginal fissure and behind the VCA line (that is, in the SMA) reproduced with permission of the publisher (Science) (adapted from Bonini et al., 2014).