N100, N200, and P300 Auditory Event-Related Potentials Depending on Handedness and Response Tasks such as Button Pressing and Mental Counting

Abstract

Purpose: This study was to determine the effects of response tasks, such as button pressing and mental counting, and handedness on N100, N200, and P300 auditory event-related potential (AERP).Methods: A total of 50 normal-hearing young adults with the average age of 21.6 (±1.5) years participated in this study. Among them, 15 men and 15 women were right-handed and 10 men and 10 women were left-handed. An oddball paradigm was used to deliver 30 stimuli of 2 kHz target tone bursts and 120 stimuli of 1 kHz nontarget tone bursts. The stimuli were presented at 70 dB sound pressure level with the rate of 1/s.Results: The button pressing task elicited significantly smaller N100 and larger P300 amplitudes than the mental counting task. N200 latency was significantly lower and P300 amplitude was higher in left-handed participants than those who are right-handed. Appearance percentages of right-/left-handed participants for N100, N200, and P300 were 80/95%, 85/85%, and 75/75% for the button pressing task and 80/90%, 80/80%, and 70/70% for mental counting task, respectively.Conclusion: The significant difference in appearance percentage between response tasks supported that P300 was a strong endogenous potential. N100 and N200 were thought to have both endogenous and exogenous characteristics. A more sensitive approach in selecting the task of response for the target stimuli and careful consideration for the handedness is necessary for AERP recordings.