Decision making, the P3, and the locus coeruleus-norepinephrine system

Sander Nieuwenhuis; Gary Aston-Jones; Jonathan D. Cohen

doi:10.1037/0033-2909.131.4.510

Decision making, the P3, and the locus coeruleus-norepinephrine system

Sander Nieuwenhuis, Gary Aston-Jones, Jonathan D. Cohen

Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review

1279 Scopus citations

Abstract

Psychologists and neuroscientists have had a long-standing interest in the P3, a prominent component of the event-related brain potential. This review aims to integrate knowledge regarding the neural basis of the P3 and to elucidate its functional role in information processing. The authors review evidence suggesting that the P3 reflects phasic activity of the neuromodulatory locus coeruleus-norepinephrine (LC-NE) system. They discuss the P3 literature in the light of empirical findings and a recent theory regarding the information-processing function of the LC-NE phasic response. The theoretical framework emerging from this research synthesis suggests that the P3 reflects the response of the LC-NE system to the outcome of internal decision-making processes and the consequent effects of noradrenergic potentiation of information processing.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	510-532
Number of pages	23
Journal	Psychological Bulletin
Volume	131
Issue number	4
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.131.4.510
State	Published - Jul 2005

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

General Psychology

Keywords

Decision making
Norepinephrine
P300
Source

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10.1037/0033-2909.131.4.510

Cite this

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abstract = "Psychologists and neuroscientists have had a long-standing interest in the P3, a prominent component of the event-related brain potential. This review aims to integrate knowledge regarding the neural basis of the P3 and to elucidate its functional role in information processing. The authors review evidence suggesting that the P3 reflects phasic activity of the neuromodulatory locus coeruleus-norepinephrine (LC-NE) system. They discuss the P3 literature in the light of empirical findings and a recent theory regarding the information-processing function of the LC-NE phasic response. The theoretical framework emerging from this research synthesis suggests that the P3 reflects the response of the LC-NE system to the outcome of internal decision-making processes and the consequent effects of noradrenergic potentiation of information processing.",

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Decision making, the P3, and the locus coeruleus-norepinephrine system

Abstract

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