Research Projects

A fundamental aspect of human action control is to prevent errors from occurring, i.e. error processing/correction, and is crucial for behavioral adaptation. This is interlinked with a key cognitive function called inhibitory control which allows individuals to suppress inappropriate or prepotent actions. Impairments in inhibitory control are seen in several mental health disorders including obsessive-compulsive disorder, anxiety disorders, and impulse-control disorders where people are not able to stop unwanted actions or thoughts. Therefore, understanding the mechanisms of action error correction has significant implications for human cognitive control and tackling these mental health challenges. Error processing has been studied from the perspective of the central nervous system’s influence on motor actions. However, the interplay between the central and autonomic nervous systems during error processing remains largely unexplored. This project seeks to address this gap by investigating how action errors, induced by tasks with stimulus-response conflict, can be influenced by central-autonomic interactions, specifically neuromuscular and cardiac interactions, and minimized through specific behavioral strategies. Prior evidence suggests that there is a link between the neural and cardiac systems during error processing. This is evidenced by neural error markers such as error-related negativity and positivity (ERNe/Pe)—and their relationship with cardiac changes, such as post-error cardiac deceleration. This is considered a potential indicator of error awareness. While neural markers of error correction have been identified, the cardiac effects of the same, especially when subthreshold incorrect responses are halted and corrected, remain poorly understood. In this project, we will investigate the influence of techniques like proactive control and breathing strategies on the brain-heart axis in curbing action errors. Using a stimulus-response conflict paradigm, we will test how techniques such as contextual cueing to anticipate errors and slow-paced breathing (SPB), which is known to enhance cardiac vagal activity and frontal theta power, affect error awareness and correction. With multimodal electrophysiological recordings from the brain (EEG), muscle (EMG), and heart (ECG), our research will provide insights into whether specific neural and cardiac signatures can predict impending errors, possibly leading to novel interventions to prevent them. It could also provide insights into how controlled breathing practices, e.g. as in traditional Pranayama, interact with central and autonomic systems, for enhancing behavioral control. The outcomes of this project will advance our understanding of the intricate relationship between the brain and heart in error control, setting the stage for new applications in its prevention, behavioral modulation, and the management of inhibitory control-related mental health challenges.