Vigilant attention mediates the association between resting EEG alpha oscillations and word learning ability

Yan Huang; Yao Deng; Lingda Kong; Xiumei Zhang; Xiaobao Wei; Tianxin Mao; Yong Xu; Caihong Jiang; Hengyi Rao

doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2023.120369

Vigilant attention mediates the association between resting EEG alpha oscillations and word learning ability

Neuroimage. 2023 Nov 1:281:120369. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2023.120369. Epub 2023 Sep 9.

Authors

Yan Huang¹, Yao Deng², Lingda Kong³, Xiumei Zhang², Xiaobao Wei⁴, Tianxin Mao², Yong Xu², Caihong Jiang⁵, Hengyi Rao⁶

Affiliations

¹ Center for Magnetic Resonance Imaging Research & Key Laboratory of Brain-Machine Intelligence for Information Behavior (Ministry of Education and Shanghai), School of Business and Management, Shanghai International Studies University, Shanghai, China; School of Foreign Languages, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China.
² Center for Magnetic Resonance Imaging Research & Key Laboratory of Brain-Machine Intelligence for Information Behavior (Ministry of Education and Shanghai), School of Business and Management, Shanghai International Studies University, Shanghai, China.
³ Institute of Corpus, Shanghai International Studies University, Shanghai, China.
⁴ School of Foreign Languages, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China.
⁵ Center for Magnetic Resonance Imaging Research & Key Laboratory of Brain-Machine Intelligence for Information Behavior (Ministry of Education and Shanghai), School of Business and Management, Shanghai International Studies University, Shanghai, China. Electronic address: 02743@shisu.edu.cn.
⁶ Center for Magnetic Resonance Imaging Research & Key Laboratory of Brain-Machine Intelligence for Information Behavior (Ministry of Education and Shanghai), School of Business and Management, Shanghai International Studies University, Shanghai, China; Center for Functional Neuroimaging, Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA. Electronic address: hengyi@pennmedicine.upenn.edu.

PMID: 37690592
DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2023.120369

Abstract

Individuals exhibit considerable variability in their capacity to learn and retain new information, including novel vocabulary. Prior research has established the importance of vigilance and electroencephalogram (EEG) alpha rhythm in the learning process. However, the interplay between vigilant attention, EEG alpha oscillations, and an individual's word learning ability (WLA) remains elusive. To address this knowledge gap, here we conducted two experiments with a total of 140 young and middle-aged adults who underwent resting EEG recordings prior to completing a paired-associate word learning task and a psychomotor vigilance test (PVT). The results of both experiments consistently revealed significant positive correlations between WLA and resting EEG alpha oscillations in the occipital and frontal regions. Furthermore, the association between resting EEG alpha oscillations and WLA was mediated by vigilant attention, as measured by the PVT. These findings provide compelling evidence supporting the crucial role of vigilant attention in linking EEG alpha oscillations to an individual's learning ability.

Keywords: Alpha oscillations; Resting-state EEG; Vigilant attention; Word learning ability.