Cognitive control includes maintenance of task-specific processes related to attention, and non-specific regulation of motor threshold. Depending upon the nature of the behavioral tasks, these mechanisms may predispose to different kinds of errors, with either increased or decreased response time (RT) of erroneous responses relative to correct responses. Specifically, slow responses are related to attentional lapses and decision uncertainty, these conditions tending to delay RTs of both erroneous and correct responses. Here we studied if RT may be a valid approximation distinguishing trials with high and low levels of sustained attention and decision uncertainty. We analyzed response-related and feedback-related modulations in theta, alpha and beta band activity in the auditory version of the two-choice condensation task, which is highly demanding for sustained attention while involves no inhibition of prepotent responses. Depending upon response speed and accuracy, trials were divided into slow correct, slow erroneous, fast correct and fast erroneous. We found that error-related frontal midline theta (FMT) was present only on fast erroneous trials. The feedback-related FMT was equally strong on slow erroneous and fast erroneous trials. Late post-response posterior alpha suppression was stronger on erroneous slow trials. Feedback-related frontal beta was present only on slow correct trials. The data obtained cumulatively suggests that RT allows distinguishing the two types of trials, with fast trials related to higher levels of attention and low uncertainty, and slow trials related to lower levels of attention and higher uncertainty.

Error commission leads to adaptive adjustments in a number of brain networks that subserve goal-directed behavior, resulting in either enhanced stimulus processing or increased motor threshold depending on the nature of errors committed. Here, we studied these adjustments by analyzing post-error modulations of alpha and theta band activity in the auditory version of the two-choice condensation task, which is highly demanding for sustained attention while involves no inhibition of prepotent responses. Errors were followed by increased frontal midline theta (FMT) activity, as well as by enhanced alpha band suppression in the parietal and the left central regions; parietal alpha suppression correlated with the task performance, left central alpha suppression correlated with the post-error slowing, and FMT increase correlated with both behavioral measures. On post-error correct trials, left-central alpha band suppression started earlier before the response, and the response was followed by weaker FMT activity, as well as by enhanced alpha band suppression distributed over the entire scalp. These findings indicate that several separate neuronal networks are involved in post-error adjustments, including the midfrontal performance monitoring network, the parietal attentional network, and the sensorimotor network. Supposedly, activity within these networks is rapidly modulated after errors, resulting in optimization of their functional state on the subsequent trials, with corresponding changes in behavioral measures.

The functional role of high beta oscillations (20–35 Hz) during feedback processing has been suggested to reflect unexpected gains. Using a novel gambling task that separates gains and losses across blocks and directly compares reception of monetary rewards to a ‘no-reward/punishment’ condition with equal probability we aimed to further investigate the role of beta oscillations. When contrasting different feedback conditions across rewards, we found that a late low beta component (12–20 Hz) had increased in power during the omission of rewards relative to the reception of rewards, while no differences were observed during the loss domain. These findings may indicate that late low beta oscillations in the context of feedback processing may respond to omission of gains relative to other potential outcomes. We speculate that late low beta oscillations may operate as a learning mechanism that signals the brain to make future adequate decisions. Overall, our study provides new insights for the role of late low beta oscillations in reward processing.

The causal mechanisms of spontaneous attentional performance lapses in alert nonclinical individuals during purposeful responses to complex stimuli remain largely unknown. Current evidence suggests that the forced redirection of attention can modulate preattentive stages of auditory processing. We propose a hypothesis that similar mechanisms may be responsible for spontaneous attentional lapses. To address this issue, the auditory condensation task was used. Four target auditory stimuli that differed in 2 independent features were presented randomly with equal probability. Participants were instructed to respond to each stimulus by pressing 1 of 2 buttons according to a rule based on stimulus feature conjunction. Participants made errors in 10.2% Ϯ .7% of the trials and response omissions in 5.4% Ϯ .5% of the trials. The P2 amplitude was greater in trials with errors compared with correct responses, possibly reflecting a reduction of stimulus processing. Spontaneous attentional performance lapses may be tentatively explained by the inadequate distribution of attentional resources caused by competition with other mental processes, such as mind-wandering. This competition is likely to occasionally subdue early preattentional stages of stimulus processing and thus cause behavioral errors.

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