One of the initial studies suggested that decreased ERN amplitude in older adults may result from a decreased ability to detect errors (Band & Kok, 2000). Although this may be true in more difficult tasks, it is unclear why the ERN would be reduced when subjects perform relatively simple tasks. Another suggestion is that decreased ERN amplitude is due to diminished dopaminergic function that occurs with normal aging (Nieuwenhuis et al., 2002). Likewise, decreased ERN amplitude in children may be due to neurodevelopment of medial prefrontal cortex (Stuss, 1992) and dopaminergic neurons that continues until early adulthood (Levitt, 2003; Segawa, 2000). In support of this view, the scalp distribution of the ERN in 5 – 6 year olds appears to be more posterior compared to adults (Torpey et al., 2007), suggesting some anteriorization over the course of development. Therefore, it is possible that developmental changes in DA and the prefrontal cortex across the life span are at the root of developmental changes in ERN amplitude.
