Effects of task repetition on event-related potentials in somatosensory Go/No-go paradigm.

We investigated the effects of task repetition on the N140 and P300 components of event-related potentials (ERPs) in somatosensory Go/No-go paradigms. A Go or No-go stimulus was presented to the second or fifth digit of the left hand, respectively, at the same probability, and subjects had to respond by pushing a button with their right thumb as quickly as possible only after the presentation of a Go stimulus. The condition comprised seven sessions of recordings, and subjects were allowed to relax for five minutes after one session. The behavioral data for the reaction time (RT), standard deviation of RT, and error rates showed the absence of an effect by task repetition. In ERP waveforms, the amplitudes of N140 and P300 decreased with task repetition, and the latency of P300 was delayed by task repetition. There was no significant effect of task repetition on the peak latency of N140. Changes in amplitude and latency values in N140 and P300 during Go/No-go paradigms reflected changes in the neural activation of response execution and inhibition processing with task repetition.