AMPLITUDE-TIME CHARACTERISTICS OF WOMEN’S BRAIN ACTIVITY ASSOCIATED WITH THE MOTOR RESPONSE IN THE STOP-SIGNAL TASK PARADIGM

Background
The amplitude-temporal characteristics of the event-related potentials of the cortex associated with the motor response were studied in women using the Stop-Signal task paradigm.

Material and methods
The research involved 48 healthy, right-handed female volunteers between the ages of 18 and 23 years. Event-related potentials in the frontal, central, and parietal cortices were analyzed. The latency periods of the N2 and P3 components as well as the amplitudes of the N2 and P3 waves were determined.

Results
The performance of the motor task in the Stop-Signal task paradigm was accompanied by a predominance of the N2 latency component in the parietal cortex areas, primarily in the right hemisphere, and the P3 component amplitude in the frontal area of the left hemisphere. A bilateral cortex response was revealed in the P3 latency component and the inter-peak amplitude of the P2N2 event-related potential interval. The local potential shift in the N2P3 peak interval was recorded in the right central and parietal areas, with a higher amplitude in the left hemisphere.

Conclusions
The established characteristics of induced brain activity in women may support the idea of the multistage inhibitory process, which can require additional reassessment and categorization of the stimulus at the time of transition from the stage of an action’s “suspension” to its complete “cancellation.”