Neural mechanisms of negative emotionality and cognitive control: The role of frontal midline theta

Early adulthood is characterized by the emergence of many forms of psychopathology as well as the development of cognitive abilities necessary for adaptive functioning (e.g., cognitive control). This study investigated brain responses that mediate the relationship between the ability to inhibit unwanted behavior-a core function of cognitive control-and personality characteristics associated with the development of psychopathology. Using a Go/No-Go task, we examined how theta and alpha frequency activity (3-8 and 10-20 Hz, respectively) within electroencephalography (EEG) recorded over middle frontal regions of the scalp (i.e., frontal midline theta [FMT]) may be sensitive to the effects of personality traits of Emotionality, Constraint, and Absorption, traits with well-studied connections to psychopathology and psychopathology risk factors, on behavioral responses reflecting cognitive control. Young adult United States Army National Guard recruits (n = 106) completed a Go/No-Go task that varied in difficulty across three blocks to magnify cognitive demands. FMT (electrode FCz) and behavioral performance varied as a function of the task demands, and FMT was associated with negative emotionality (NEM) and absorption. Desynchronization of alpha frequencies was evident at occipital electrodes (PO7, PO8) and related to task block difficulty. A mediation analysis revealed that FMT explained (mediated) the association between heightened NEM and worse performance on the Go/No-Go task. No such effects were evident for alpha desynchronization. Findings are consistent with FMT during control of behavioral responses being a mechanism by which a propensity toward experiencing negative emotions such as anxiety, fear, and stress (i.e., NEM) compromises cognitive control and self-regulation.