Happy and less inhibited? Effects of positive mood on inhibitory control during an antisaccade task revealed using topographic evoked potential mapping

•Positive and neutral mood affect electrophysiological correlates of inhibition differently.•Cognitive control, rather than behavioral inhibition, was modulated by mood.•Less efficient proactive control at the level of the CNV was found in positive mood.•Positive mood enhanced reactive cognitive control at the level of the N2 component.

Affective states might influence inhibitory control, a cognitive process fundamental for goal adaptive behavior. Here, we recorded high-density EEG while participants performed an antisaccade task, after the induction of a happy (n = 20) or neutral (n = 20) mood, to compare the same inhibition-related processes across these two affective contexts. Topographical evoked potential mapping methods were used to characterize changes in the electric field depending on mood and saccade type (pro vs. anti) concurrently. Results showed that prior to target onset, the CNV component was enhanced for anti- compared to prosaccades, selectively in the neutral mood group. Following target onset, the topography of the N2 was more strongly expressed in the happy mood group, and was also altered by saccade type. The subsequent P3 components were not modulated by mood. We discuss these new findings in light of recent neurobiological and neuropsychological models that posit that positive affect dynamically changes cognitive control.