Executive Function and Higher-Order Cognition: EEG Studies

To maintain optimal goal-directed behavior, a control (‘executive’) system is needed that will dynamically prioritize the processing of information as well as the planning of actions and their execution. Major components of this executive system are working memory, attention, and conflict/error monitoring. The executive system needs to interact with multiple sensory regions of the brain, as well as with motor output regions. Event-related brain potentials (ERPs), recorded on the scalp have established signatures of executive functions. This article describes ERP studies conducted with patients suffering from well-circumscribed brain lesions involving mainly the lateral prefrontal cortex, a major hub of the executive system.