1
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Ghosh S, Maunsell JHR. Locus coeruleus norepinephrine contributes to visual-spatial attention by selectively enhancing perceptual sensitivity. Neuron 2024; 112:2231-2240.e5. [PMID: 38701788 PMCID: PMC11223979 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2024.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2023] [Revised: 03/07/2024] [Accepted: 04/02/2024] [Indexed: 05/05/2024]
Abstract
Selectively focusing on a behaviorally relevant stimulus while ignoring irrelevant stimuli improves perception. Enhanced neuronal response gain is thought to support attention-related improvements in detection and discrimination. However, understanding of the neuronal pathways regulating perceptual sensitivity remains limited. Here, we report that responses of norepinephrine (NE) neurons in the locus coeruleus (LC) of non-human primates to behaviorally relevant sensory stimuli promote visual discrimination in a spatially selective way. LC-NE neurons spike in response to a visual stimulus appearing in the contralateral hemifield only when that stimulus is attended. This spiking is associated with enhanced behavioral sensitivity, is independent of motor control, and is absent on error trials. Furthermore, optogenetically activating LC-NE neurons selectively improves monkeys' contralateral stimulus detection without affecting motor criteria, supporting NE's causal role in granular cognitive control of selective attention at a cellular level, beyond its known diffuse and non-selective functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Supriya Ghosh
- Department of Neurobiology and Neuroscience Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA.
| | - John H R Maunsell
- Department of Neurobiology and Neuroscience Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
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2
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Yu G, Katz LN, Quaia C, Messinger A, Krauzlis RJ. Short-latency preference for faces in primate superior colliculus depends on visual cortex. Neuron 2024:S0896-6273(24)00412-4. [PMID: 38959893 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2024.06.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2024] [Revised: 04/20/2024] [Accepted: 06/06/2024] [Indexed: 07/05/2024]
Abstract
Face processing is fundamental to primates and has been extensively studied in higher-order visual cortex. Here, we report that visual neurons in the midbrain superior colliculus (SC) of macaque monkeys display a preference for images of faces. This preference emerges within 40 ms of stimulus onset-well before "face patches" in visual cortex-and, at the population level, can be used to distinguish faces from other visual objects with accuracies of ∼80%. This short-latency face preference in SC depends on signals routed through early visual cortex because inactivating the lateral geniculate nucleus, the key relay from retina to cortex, virtually eliminates visual responses in SC, including face-related activity. These results reveal an unexpected circuit in the primate visual system for rapidly detecting faces in the periphery, complementing the higher-order areas needed for recognizing individual faces.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gongchen Yu
- Laboratory of Sensorimotor Research, National Eye Institute, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
| | - Leor N Katz
- Laboratory of Sensorimotor Research, National Eye Institute, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Christian Quaia
- Laboratory of Sensorimotor Research, National Eye Institute, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Adam Messinger
- Laboratory of Sensorimotor Research, National Eye Institute, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Richard J Krauzlis
- Laboratory of Sensorimotor Research, National Eye Institute, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
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3
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Khor KL, Kumarasuriar V, Tan KW, Ooi PB, Chia YC. Effects of fruit and vegetable intake on memory and attention: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Syst Rev 2024; 13:151. [PMID: 38849879 PMCID: PMC11157787 DOI: 10.1186/s13643-024-02547-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2023] [Accepted: 04/26/2024] [Indexed: 06/09/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Memory and attention are important for daily functioning, and their function deteriorates due to aging. However, fruit and vegetable consumption are one of the protective factors against deterioration in memory and attention. This systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) aims to identify the effects of fruit and vegetable consumption on memory and attention. METHODS We conducted a systematic search in EBSCOhost, ProQuest, PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science from inception up to 06/09/2022. The inclusion criteria were peer-reviewed articles, fruit and vegetable intake measured using randomized controlled trials, and the outcome measures that showed the results of memory and attention scores. Two researchers independently extracted articles that met the selection criteria and evaluated the quality of each study. RESULTS There were 70 articles identified from the databases, of which 13 articles met the inclusion criteria and were included in this systematic review. There were 493 participants in total. The results show that consumption of fruit and vegetable intake improved memory and attention in longitudinal studies (10 to 12 weeks). Children showed improvement in immediate recall after supplementation with blueberries. Older adults required a higher dose of fruit and vegetable intake consumption to achieve significant improvement compared with children and younger adults. Furthermore, the effect of fruits and vegetables on memory showed better immediate memory recall than delayed recall. CONCLUSION This systematic review showed that there is an improvement in memory and attention with fruit and vegetable intake consumption. Hence, awareness of fruit and vegetable intake consumption is important to maintain cognitive health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Khai Ling Khor
- Department of Medical Sciences, School of Medical and Life Sciences, Sunway University, Selangor, Malaysia
- School of Psychology, DISTED College, Penang, Malaysia
| | - Vashnarekha Kumarasuriar
- Department of Medical Sciences, School of Medical and Life Sciences, Sunway University, Selangor, Malaysia
- School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading Malaysia, Iskandar Puteri, Malaysia
| | - Kok Wei Tan
- School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading Malaysia, Iskandar Puteri, Malaysia
| | - Pei Boon Ooi
- Department of Medical Sciences, School of Medical and Life Sciences, Sunway University, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Yook-Chin Chia
- Department of Medical Sciences, School of Medical and Life Sciences, Sunway University, Selangor, Malaysia.
- Department of Primary Care Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
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4
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Purokayastha S, Roberts M, Carrasco M. Do microsaccades vary with discriminability around the visual field? J Vis 2024; 24:11. [PMID: 38869372 PMCID: PMC11178122 DOI: 10.1167/jov.24.6.11] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2024] [Accepted: 04/19/2024] [Indexed: 06/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Microsaccades-tiny fixational eye movements-improve discriminability in high-acuity tasks in the foveola. To investigate whether they help compensate for low discriminability at the perifovea, we examined microsaccade characteristics relative to the adult visual performance field, which is characterized by two perceptual asymmetries: horizontal-vertical anisotropy (better discrimination along the horizontal than vertical meridian) and vertical meridian asymmetry (better discrimination along the lower than upper vertical meridian). We investigated whether and to what extent microsaccade directionality varies when stimuli are at isoeccentric locations along the cardinals under conditions of heterogeneous discriminability (Experiment 1) and homogeneous discriminability, equated by adjusting stimulus contrast (Experiment 2). Participants performed a two-alternative forced-choice orientation discrimination task. In both experiments, performance was better on trials without microsaccades between ready signal onset and stimulus offset than on trials with microsaccades. Across the trial sequence, the microsaccade rate and directional pattern were similar across locations. Our results indicate that microsaccades were similar regardless of stimulus discriminability and target location, except during the response period-once the stimuli were no longer present and target location no longer uncertain-when microsaccades were biased toward the target location. Thus, this study reveals that microsaccades do not flexibly adapt as a function of varying discriminability in a basic visual task around the visual field.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Mariel Roberts
- Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Marisa Carrasco
- Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, NY, USA
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY, USA
- Carrasco Lab, New York University, New York, NY, USA
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5
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Abstract
Working memory enables us to bridge past sensory information to upcoming future behaviour. Accordingly, by its very nature, working memory is concerned with two components: the past and the future. Yet, in conventional laboratory tasks, these two components are often conflated, such as when sensory information in working memory is encoded and tested at the same location. We developed a task in which we dissociated the past (encoded location) and future (to-be-tested location) attributes of visual contents in working memory. This enabled us to independently track the utilisation of past and future memory attributes through gaze, as observed during mnemonic selection. Our results reveal the joint consideration of past and future locations. This was prevalent even at the single-trial level of individual saccades that were jointly biased to the past and future. This uncovers the rich nature of working memory representations, whereby both past and future memory attributes are retained and can be accessed together when memory contents become relevant for behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Baiwei Liu
- Institute for Brain and Behavior Amsterdam, Department of Experimental and Applied Psychology, Vrije Universiteit AmsterdamAmsterdamNetherlands
| | - Zampeta-Sofia Alexopoulou
- Institute for Brain and Behavior Amsterdam, Department of Experimental and Applied Psychology, Vrije Universiteit AmsterdamAmsterdamNetherlands
| | - Freek van Ede
- Institute for Brain and Behavior Amsterdam, Department of Experimental and Applied Psychology, Vrije Universiteit AmsterdamAmsterdamNetherlands
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6
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Hasnain MA, Birnbaum JE, Nunez JLU, Hartman EK, Chandrasekaran C, Economo MN. Separating cognitive and motor processes in the behaving mouse. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2023.08.23.554474. [PMID: 37662199 PMCID: PMC10473744 DOI: 10.1101/2023.08.23.554474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/05/2023]
Abstract
The cognitive processes supporting complex animal behavior are closely associated with ubiquitous movements responsible for our posture, facial expressions, ability to actively sample our sensory environments, and other critical processes. These movements are strongly related to neural activity across much of the brain and are often highly correlated with ongoing cognitive processes, making it challenging to dissociate the neural dynamics that support cognitive processes from those supporting related movements. In such cases, a critical issue is whether cognitive processes are separable from related movements, or if they are driven by common neural mechanisms. Here, we demonstrate how the separability of cognitive and motor processes can be assessed, and, when separable, how the neural dynamics associated with each component can be isolated. We establish a novel two-context behavioral task in mice that involves multiple cognitive processes and show that commonly observed dynamics taken to support cognitive processes are strongly contaminated by movements. When cognitive and motor components are isolated using a novel approach for subspace decomposition, we find that they exhibit distinct dynamical trajectories. Further, properly accounting for movement revealed that largely separate populations of cells encode cognitive and motor variables, in contrast to the 'mixed selectivity' often reported. Accurately isolating the dynamics associated with particular cognitive and motor processes will be essential for developing conceptual and computational models of neural circuit function and evaluating the function of the cell types of which neural circuits are composed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Munib A. Hasnain
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, MA
- Center for Neurophotonics, Boston University, Boston, MA
| | - Jaclyn E. Birnbaum
- Graduate Program for Neuroscience, Boston University, Boston, MA
- Center for Neurophotonics, Boston University, Boston, MA
| | | | - Emma K. Hartman
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, MA
| | - Chandramouli Chandrasekaran
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston, MA
- Department of Neurobiology & Anatomy, Boston University, Boston, MA
- Center for Systems Neuroscience, Boston University, Boston, MA
| | - Michael N. Economo
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, MA
- Center for Neurophotonics, Boston University, Boston, MA
- Center for Systems Neuroscience, Boston University, Boston, MA
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7
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Gu Q, Zhang Q, Han Y, Li P, Gao Z, Shen M. Microsaccades reflect attention shifts: a mini review of 20 years of microsaccade research. Front Psychol 2024; 15:1364939. [PMID: 38440250 PMCID: PMC10909968 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1364939] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2024] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 03/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Microsaccades are small, involuntary eye movements that occur during fixation. Since the 1950s, researchers have conducted extensive research on the role of microsaccades in visual information processing, and found that they also play an important role in human advanced visual cognitive activities. Research over the past 20 years further suggested that there is a close relationship between microsaccades and visual attention, yet lacking a timely review. The current article aims to provide a state-of-the-art review and bring microsaccades studies into the sight of attention research. We firstly introduce basic characteristics about microsaccades, then summarized the empirical evidence supporting the view that microsaccades can reflect both external (perception) and internal (working memory) attention shifts. We finally conclude and highlight three promising avenues for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Quan Gu
- Yongjiang Laboratory, Ningbo, China
- Department of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Qikai Zhang
- Department of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yueming Han
- Shanghai Institute of Technical Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | | | - Zaifeng Gao
- Department of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Mowei Shen
- Department of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
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8
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Chandrasekaran AN, Vermani A, Gupta P, Steinmetz N, Moore T, Sridharan D. Dissociable components of attention exhibit distinct neuronal signatures in primate visual cortex. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2024; 10:eadi0645. [PMID: 38306428 PMCID: PMC10836731 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adi0645] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2023] [Accepted: 01/04/2024] [Indexed: 02/04/2024]
Abstract
Attention can be deployed in multiple forms and facilitates behavior by influencing perceptual sensitivity and choice bias. Attention is also associated with a myriad of changes in sensory neural activity. Yet, the relationship between the behavioral components of attention and the accompanying changes in neural activity remains largely unresolved. We examined this relationship by quantifying sensitivity and bias in monkeys performing a task that dissociated eye movement responses from the focus of covert attention. Unexpectedly, bias, not sensitivity, increased at the focus of covert attention, whereas sensitivity increased at the location of planned eye movements. Furthermore, neuronal activity within visual area V4 varied robustly with bias, but not sensitivity, at the focus of covert attention. In contrast, correlated variability between neuronal pairs was lowest at the location of planned eye movements, and varied with sensitivity, but not bias. Thus, dissociable behavioral components of attention exhibit distinct neuronal signatures within the visual cortex.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ayesha Vermani
- Centre for Neuroscience, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, KA, India
| | - Priyanka Gupta
- Centre for Neuroscience, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, KA, India
| | - Nicholas Steinmetz
- Department of Neurobiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Tirin Moore
- Department of Neurobiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Devarajan Sridharan
- Centre for Neuroscience, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, KA, India
- Computer Science and Automation, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, KA, India
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9
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Purokayastha S, Roberts M, Carrasco M. Do microsaccades vary with discriminability around the visual field? BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.01.11.575288. [PMID: 38260406 PMCID: PMC10802594 DOI: 10.1101/2024.01.11.575288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2024]
Abstract
Microsaccades-tiny fixational eye movements- improve discriminability in high acuity tasks in the foveola. To investigate whether they help compensate for low discriminability at perifovea, we examined MS characteristics relative to the adult visual performance field, which is characterized by two perceptual asymmetries: Horizontal-Vertical Anisotropy (better discrimination along the horizontal than vertical meridian), and Vertical Meridian Asymmetry (better discrimination along the lower- than upper-vertical meridian). We investigated whether and to what extent microsaccade directionality varies when stimuli are at isoeccentric locations along the cardinals under conditions of heterogeneous discriminability (Experiment 1) and homogeneous discriminability, equated by adjusting stimulus contrast (Experiment 2). Participants performed a two-alternative forced-choice orientation discrimination task. In both experiments, performance was better on trials without microsaccades between ready signal onset and stimulus offset than on trials with microsaccades. Across the trial sequence the microsaccade rate and directional pattern were similar across locations. Our results indicate that microsaccades were similar regardless of stimulus discriminability and target location, except during the response period-once the stimuli were no longer present and target location no longer uncertain-when microsaccades were biased toward the target location. Thus, this study reveals that microsaccades do not flexibly adapt as a function of varying discriminability in a basic visual task around the visual field.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Mariel Roberts
- Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, USA
| | - Marisa Carrasco
- Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, USA
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, USA
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10
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Guzhang Y, Shelchkova N, Clark AM, Poletti M. Ultra-fine resolution of pre-saccadic attention in the fovea. Curr Biol 2024; 34:147-155.e2. [PMID: 38154463 PMCID: PMC10842882 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.11.064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2023] [Revised: 10/13/2023] [Accepted: 11/29/2023] [Indexed: 12/30/2023]
Abstract
Microsaccades, the tiny gaze relocations that occurr during fixation, have been linked to covert attention deployed degrees away from the center of gaze. However, the link between attention and microsaccades is deeper in that it also unfolds at the foveal scale. Here, we have examined the spatial grain of pre-microsaccadic attention across the 1° foveola. Through the use of high-precision eye-tracking and gaze-contingent display system that achieves arcminute precision in gaze localization, we have shown that the spotlight of attention at this scale can reach a strikingly high resolution, in the order of 0.17°. Further, when a microsaccade occurs, vision is modulated in a peculiar way across the foveola; whereas fine spatial vision is enhanced at the microsaccade goal location, it drops at the very center of gaze, where acuity is normally highest. These results reveal the finesse of the visuomotor system and of the interplay between eye movements and attention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yue Guzhang
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, University of Rochester, Meliora Hall, Rochester, NY 14627, USA
| | - Natalya Shelchkova
- Graduate Program in Computational Neuroscience, University of Chicago, 5812 S. Ellis Avenue, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Ashley M Clark
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, University of Rochester, Meliora Hall, Rochester, NY 14627, USA
| | - Martina Poletti
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, University of Rochester, Meliora Hall, Rochester, NY 14627, USA; Department of Neuroscience, University of Rochester, 601 Elmwood Avenue, Rochester, NY 14627, USA; Center for Visual Science, University of Rochester, 361 Meliora Hall, Rochester, NY 14627, USA.
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11
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Liu X, Li Y, Xu L, Zhang T, Cui H, Wei Y, Xia M, Su W, Tang Y, Tang X, Zhang D, Spillmann L, Max Andolina I, McLoughlin N, Wang W, Wang J. Spatial and Temporal Abnormalities of Spontaneous Fixational Saccades and Their Correlates With Positive and Cognitive Symptoms in Schizophrenia. Schizophr Bull 2024; 50:78-88. [PMID: 37066730 PMCID: PMC10754167 DOI: 10.1093/schbul/sbad039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/18/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND HYPOTHESIS Visual fixation is a dynamic process, with the spontaneous occurrence of microsaccades and macrosaccades. These fixational saccades are sensitive to the structural and functional alterations of the cortical-subcortical-cerebellar circuit. Given that dysfunctional cortical-subcortical-cerebellar circuit contributes to cognitive and behavioral impairments in schizophrenia, we hypothesized that patients with schizophrenia would exhibit abnormal fixational saccades and these abnormalities would be associated with the clinical manifestations. STUDY DESIGN Saccades were recorded from 140 drug-naïve patients with first-episode schizophrenia and 160 age-matched healthy controls during ten separate trials of 6-second steady fixations. Positive and negative symptoms were assessed using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). Cognition was assessed using the Measurement and Treatment Research to Improve Cognition in Schizophrenia Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB). STUDY RESULTS Patients with schizophrenia exhibited fixational saccades more vertically than controls, which was reflected in more vertical saccades with angles around 90° and a greater vertical shift of horizontal saccades with angles around 0° in patients. The fixational saccades, especially horizontal saccades, showed longer durations, faster peak velocities, and larger amplitudes in patients. Furthermore, the greater vertical shift of horizontal saccades was associated with higher PANSS total and positive symptom scores in patients, and the longer duration of horizontal saccades was associated with lower MCCB neurocognitive composite, attention/vigilance, and speed of processing scores. Finally, based solely on these fixational eye movements, a K-nearest neighbors model classified patients with an accuracy of 85%. Conclusions: Our results reveal spatial and temporal abnormalities of fixational saccades and suggest fixational saccades as a promising biomarker for cognitive and positive symptoms and for diagnosis of schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xu Liu
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Psychotic Disorders, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Institute of Neuroscience, Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, Key Laboratory of Primate Neurobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Yu Li
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Psychotic Disorders, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Department of Psychological Medicine, Children’s Hospital of Fudan University, National Children’s Medical Center, Shanghai, China
| | - Lihua Xu
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Psychotic Disorders, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Tianhong Zhang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Psychotic Disorders, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Huiru Cui
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Psychotic Disorders, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Yanyan Wei
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Psychotic Disorders, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Mengqing Xia
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Psychotic Disorders, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Wenjun Su
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Psychotic Disorders, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Yingying Tang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Psychotic Disorders, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Xiaochen Tang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Psychotic Disorders, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Dan Zhang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Psychotic Disorders, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Lothar Spillmann
- Department of Neurology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Ian Max Andolina
- Institute of Neuroscience, Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, Key Laboratory of Primate Neurobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Center for Brain and Brain-inspired Intelligence Technology, Shanghai, China
| | - Niall McLoughlin
- School of Optometry and Vision Science, University of Bradford, Bradford, UK
| | - Wei Wang
- Institute of Neuroscience, Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, Key Laboratory of Primate Neurobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Center for Brain and Brain-inspired Intelligence Technology, Shanghai, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jijun Wang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Psychotic Disorders, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology (CEBSIT), Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing, China
- Institute of Psychology and Behavioral Science, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
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12
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Giari G, Vignali L, Xu Y, Bottini R. MEG frequency tagging reveals a grid-like code during attentional movements. Cell Rep 2023; 42:113209. [PMID: 37804506 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.113209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2023] [Revised: 08/25/2023] [Accepted: 09/18/2023] [Indexed: 10/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Grid-cells firing fields tile the environment with a 6-fold periodicity during both locomotion and visual exploration. Here, we tested, in humans, whether movements of covert attention elicit grid-like coding using frequency tagging. Participants observed visual trajectories presented sequentially at fixed rate, allowing different spatial periodicities (e.g., 4-, 6-, and 8-fold) to have corresponding temporal periodicities (e.g., 1, 1.5, and 2 Hz), thus resulting in distinct spectral responses. We found a higher response for the (grid-like) 6-fold periodicity and localized this effect in medial-temporal sources. In a control experiment featuring the same temporal periodicity but lacking spatial structure, the 6-fold effect did not emerge, suggesting its dependency on spatial movements of attention. We report evidence that grid-like signals in the human medial-temporal lobe can be elicited by covert attentional movements and suggest that attentional coding may provide a suitable mechanism to support the activation of cognitive maps during conceptual navigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giuliano Giari
- Center for Mind/Brain Sciences (CIMeC), University of Trento, 38123 Trento, Italy.
| | - Lorenzo Vignali
- Center for Mind/Brain Sciences (CIMeC), University of Trento, 38123 Trento, Italy
| | - Yangwen Xu
- Center for Mind/Brain Sciences (CIMeC), University of Trento, 38123 Trento, Italy
| | - Roberto Bottini
- Center for Mind/Brain Sciences (CIMeC), University of Trento, 38123 Trento, Italy.
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13
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Poletti M. An eye for detail: Eye movements and attention at the foveal scale. Vision Res 2023; 211:108277. [PMID: 37379763 PMCID: PMC10528557 DOI: 10.1016/j.visres.2023.108277] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2023] [Revised: 06/08/2023] [Accepted: 06/08/2023] [Indexed: 06/30/2023]
Abstract
Human vision relies on a tiny region of the retina, the 1-deg foveola, to achieve high spatial resolution. Foveal vision is of paramount importance in daily activities, yet its study is challenging, as eye movements incessantly displace stimuli across this region. Here I will review work that, building on recent advances in eye-tracking and gaze-contingent display, examines how attention and eye movements operate at the foveal level. This research highlights how exploration of fine spatial detail unfolds following visuomotor strategies reminiscent of those occurring at larger scales. It shows that, together with highly precise control of attention, this motor activity is linked to non-homogenous processing within the foveola and selectively modulates sensitivity both in space and time. Overall, the picture emerges of a highly dynamic foveal perception in which fine spatial vision, rather than simply being the result of placing a stimulus at the center of gaze, is the result of a finely tuned and orchestrated synergy of motor, cognitive, and attentional processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martina Poletti
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, University of Rochester, United States; Center for Visual Science, University of Rochester, United States; Department of Neuroscience, University of Rochester, United States.
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14
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Yu G, Katz LN, Quaia C, Messinger A, Krauzlis RJ. Short-latency preference for faces in the primate superior colliculus. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.09.06.556401. [PMID: 37886488 PMCID: PMC10602035 DOI: 10.1101/2023.09.06.556401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2023]
Abstract
Face processing is fundamental to primates and has been extensively studied in higher-order visual cortex. Here we report that visual neurons in the midbrain superior colliculus (SC) display a preference for faces, that the preference emerges within 50ms of stimulus onset - well before "face patches" in visual cortex - and that this activity can distinguish faces from other visual objects with accuracies of ~80%. This short-latency preference in SC depends on signals routed through early visual cortex, because inactivating the lateral geniculate nucleus, the key relay from retina to cortex, virtually eliminates visual responses in SC, including face-related activity. These results reveal an unexpected circuit in the primate visual system for rapidly detecting faces in the periphery, complementing the higher-order areas needed for recognizing individual faces.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gongchen Yu
- Laboratory of Sensorimotor Research, National Eye Institute; Bethesda, Maryland, 20892, USA
| | - Leor N. Katz
- Laboratory of Sensorimotor Research, National Eye Institute; Bethesda, Maryland, 20892, USA
| | - Christian Quaia
- Laboratory of Sensorimotor Research, National Eye Institute; Bethesda, Maryland, 20892, USA
| | - Adam Messinger
- Laboratory of Sensorimotor Research, National Eye Institute; Bethesda, Maryland, 20892, USA
| | - Richard J. Krauzlis
- Laboratory of Sensorimotor Research, National Eye Institute; Bethesda, Maryland, 20892, USA
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15
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Zhou Y, Zhu O, Freedman DJ. Posterior Parietal Cortex Plays a Causal Role in Abstract Memory-Based Visual Categorical Decisions. J Neurosci 2023; 43:4315-4328. [PMID: 37137703 PMCID: PMC10255012 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2241-22.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2022] [Revised: 04/13/2023] [Accepted: 04/17/2023] [Indexed: 05/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Neural activity in the lateral intraparietal cortex (LIP) correlates with both sensory evaluation and motor planning underlying visuomotor decisions. We previously showed that LIP plays a causal role in visually-based perceptual and categorical decisions, and preferentially contributes to evaluating sensory stimuli over motor planning. In that study, however, monkeys reported their decisions with a saccade to a colored target associated with the correct motion category or direction. Since LIP is known to play a role in saccade planning, it remains unclear whether LIP's causal role in such decisions extend to decision-making tasks which do not involve saccades. Here, we employed reversible pharmacological inactivation of LIP neural activity while two male monkeys performed delayed match to category (DMC) and delayed match to sample (DMS) tasks. In both tasks, monkeys needed to maintain gaze fixation throughout the trial and report whether a test stimulus was a categorical match or nonmatch to the previous sample stimulus by releasing a touch bar. LIP inactivation impaired monkeys' behavioral performance in both tasks, with deficits in both accuracy and reaction time (RT). Furthermore, we recorded LIP neural activity in the DMC task targeting the same cortical locations as in the inactivation experiments. We found significant neural encoding of the sample category, which was correlated with monkeys' categorical decisions in the DMC task. Taken together, our results demonstrate that LIP plays a generalized role in visual categorical decisions independent of the task-structure and motor response modality.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Neural activity in the lateral intraparietal cortex (LIP) correlates with perceptual and categorical decisions, in addition to its role in mediating saccadic eye movements. Past work found that LIP is causally involved in visual decisions that are rapidly reported by saccades in a reaction time based decision making task. Here we use reversible inactivation of LIP to test whether LIP is also causally involved in visual decisions when reported by hand movements during delayed matching tasks. Here we show that LIP inactivation impaired monkeys' task performance during both memory-based discrimination and categorization tasks. These results demonstrate that LIP plays a generalized role in visual categorical decisions independent of the task-structure and motor response modality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Zhou
- Department of Neurobiology, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Ou Zhu
- Department of Neurobiology, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637
| | - David J Freedman
- Department of Neurobiology, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637
- Neuroscience Institute, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637
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16
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Willett SM, Mayo JP. Microsaccades are directed toward the midpoint between targets in a variably cued attention task. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2220552120. [PMID: 37155892 PMCID: PMC10194007 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2220552120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2022] [Accepted: 04/10/2023] [Indexed: 05/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Reliable, noninvasive biomarkers that reveal the internal state of a subject are an invaluable tool for neurological diagnoses. Small fixational eye movements, called microsaccades, are a candidate biomarker thought to reflect a subject's focus of attention [Z. M. Hafed, J. J. Clark, VisionRes. 42, 2533-2545 (2002); R. Engbert, R. Kliegl, VisionRes. 43, 1035-1045 (2003)]. The linkage between the direction of microsaccades and attention has mainly been demonstrated using explicit and unambiguous attentional cues. However, the natural world is seldom predictable and rarely provides unambiguous information. Thus, a useful biomarker must be robust to such changes in environmental statistics. To determine how well microsaccades reveal visual-spatial attention across behavioral contexts, we analyzed these fixational eye movements in monkeys performing a conventional change detection task. The task included two stimulus locations and variable cue validities across blocks of trials. Subjects were adept at the task, showing precise and graded modulations of visual attention for subtle target changes and performing better and faster when the cue was more reliable [J. P. Mayo, J. H. R. Maunsell, J. Neurosci. 36, 5353 (2016)]. However, over tens of thousands of microsaccades, we found no difference in microsaccade direction between cued locations when cue variability was high nor between hit and miss trials. Instead, microsaccades were made toward the midpoint of the two target locations, not toward individual targets. Our results suggest that the direction of microsaccades should be interpreted with caution and may not be a reliable measure of covert spatial attention in more complex viewing conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shawn M. Willett
- Department of Ophthalmology, Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, University of Pittsburgh, 15213 Pittsburgh, PA
| | - J. Patrick Mayo
- Department of Ophthalmology, Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, University of Pittsburgh, 15213 Pittsburgh, PA
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh, 15260 Pittsburgh, PA
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17
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Palmieri H, Fernández A, Carrasco M. Microsaccades and temporal attention at different locations of the visual field. J Vis 2023; 23:6. [PMID: 37145653 PMCID: PMC10168009 DOI: 10.1167/jov.23.5.6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Temporal attention, the prioritization of information at specific points in time, improves performance in behavioral tasks but cannot ameliorate the perceptual asymmetries that exist across the visual field. That is, even after attentional deployment, performance is better along the horizontal than vertical meridian and worse at the upper than lower vertical meridian. Here we asked whether and how microsaccades-tiny fixational eye-movements-could mirror or alternatively attempt to compensate for these performance asymmetries by assessing temporal profiles and direction of microsaccades as a function of visual field location. Observers were asked to report the orientation of one of two targets presented at different time points, in one of three blocked locations (fovea, right horizontal meridian, upper vertical meridian). We found the following: (1) Microsaccade occurrence did not affect either task performance or the magnitude of the temporal attention effect. (2) Temporal attention modulated the microsaccade temporal profiles, and this modulation varied with polar angle location. At all locations, microsaccade rates were significantly more suppressed in anticipation of the target when temporally cued than in the neutral condition. Moreover, microsaccade rates were more suppressed during target presentation in the fovea than in the right horizontal meridian. (3) Across locations and attention conditions, there was a pronounced bias toward the upper hemifield. Overall, these results reveal that temporal attention benefits performance similarly around the visual field, microsaccade suppression is more pronounced for attention than expectation (neutral trials) across locations, and the directional bias toward the upper hemifield could reflect an attempt to compensate for typical poor performance at the upper vertical meridian.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helena Palmieri
- Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Antonio Fernández
- Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas in Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Marisa Carrasco
- Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, NY, USA
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY, USA
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18
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Liu B, Nobre AC, van Ede F. Microsaccades transiently lateralise EEG alpha activity. Prog Neurobiol 2023; 224:102433. [PMID: 36907349 PMCID: PMC10074474 DOI: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2023.102433] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2022] [Revised: 03/08/2023] [Accepted: 03/09/2023] [Indexed: 03/12/2023]
Abstract
The lateralisation of 8-12 Hz alpha activity is a canonical signature of human spatial cognition that is typically studied under strict fixation requirements. Yet, even during attempted fixation, the brain produces small involuntary eye movements known as microsaccades. Here we report how spontaneous microsaccades - made in the absence of incentives to look elsewhere - can themselves drive transient lateralisation of EEG alpha power according to microsaccade direction. This transient lateralisation of posterior alpha power occurs similarly following start and return microsaccades and is, at least for start microsaccades, driven by increased alpha power ipsilateral to microsaccade direction. This reveals new links between spontaneous microsaccades and human electrophysiological brain activity. It highlights how microsaccades are an important factor to consider in studies relating alpha activity - including spontaneous fluctuations in alpha activity - to spatial cognition, such as studies on visual attention, anticipation, and working memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Baiwei Liu
- Institute for Brain and Behavior Amsterdam, Department of Experimental and Applied Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
| | - Anna C Nobre
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, United Kingdom; Oxford Centre for Human Brain Activity, Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Freek van Ede
- Institute for Brain and Behavior Amsterdam, Department of Experimental and Applied Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Oxford Centre for Human Brain Activity, Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, United Kingdom.
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19
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Yao T, Vanduffel W. Spike rates of frontal eye field neurons predict reaction times in a spatial attention task. Cell Rep 2023; 42:112384. [PMID: 37043349 PMCID: PMC10157294 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.112384] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2022] [Revised: 02/08/2023] [Accepted: 03/28/2023] [Indexed: 04/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Which neuronal signal(s) predict reaction times when subjects respond to a target at covertly attended locations? Although recent studies showed that spike rates are not predictive, it remains a highly contested question. Therefore, we record single-unit activity from frontal eye field (FEF) neurons while macaques are performing a covert spatial attention task. We find that the attentional modulation of spike rates of FEF neurons is strongly correlated with behavioral reaction times. Moreover, this correlation already emerges 1 s before target dimming, which triggers the behavioral responses. This prediction of reaction times by spike rates is found in neurons showing attention-dependent enhanced and suppressed activity for targets and distractors, respectively, yet in varying degrees across subjects. Thus, spike rates of FEF neurons can predict reaction times persistently and well before the operant behavior during selective attention tasks. Such long prediction windows will be useful for developing spike-based brain-machine interfaces.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tao Yao
- Department of Neurosciences, Laboratory of Neuro- and Psychophysiology, KU Leuven Medical School, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Wim Vanduffel
- Department of Neurosciences, Laboratory of Neuro- and Psychophysiology, KU Leuven Medical School, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA; Department of Radiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02144, USA.
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20
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Willett SM, Mayo JP. Microsaccades are directed towards the midpoint between targets in a variably cued attention task. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.01.24.525403. [PMID: 36747814 PMCID: PMC9900773 DOI: 10.1101/2023.01.24.525403] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Reliable, non-invasive biomarkers that reveal the internal state of a subject are an invaluable tool for neurological diagnoses. Small fixational eye movements, called microsaccades, are a candidate biomarker thought to reflect a subject's focus of attention (1, 2). The linkage between the direction of microsaccades and attention has mainly been demonstrated using explicit and unambiguous attentional cues. However, the natural world is seldom predictable and rarely provides unambiguous information. Thus, a useful biomarker must be robust to such changes in environmental statistics. To determine how well microsaccades reveal visual-spatial attention across behavioral contexts, we analyzed these fixational eye movements in monkeys performing a conventional change detection task. The task included two stimulus locations and variable cue validities across blocks of trials. Subjects were adept at the task, showing precise and graded modulations of visual attention for subtle target changes and performing better and faster when the cue was more reliable (3). However, over tens of thousands of microsaccades, we found no difference in microsaccade direction between cued locations when cue variability was high nor between hit and miss trials. Instead, microsaccades were made towards the midpoint of the two target locations, not towards individual targets. Our results suggest that the direction of microsaccades should be interpreted with caution and may not be a reliable measure of covert spatial attention in more complex viewing conditions. Significance Statement Small fixational eye movements called microsaccades are thought to "point" towards a location that is being attended in the visual periphery. This phenomenon has largely been studied using visual cues that unambiguously indicate the location of the upcoming stimulus change. Because the natural world is rarely unambiguous, we studied the relationship between microsaccade direction and spatial attention using less reliable cues. We found that monkeys' microsaccade directions in a standard visuospatial attention task did not indicate the animals' focus of attention, despite behavioral and neuronal evidence of spatial attention. Instead, microsaccades were made towards the midpoint between the target locations in both animals, suggesting a more complex relationship between microsaccades and attention in naturalistic settings.
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21
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Fernández A, Hanning NM, Carrasco M. Transcranial magnetic stimulation to frontal but not occipital cortex disrupts endogenous attention. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2219635120. [PMID: 36853947 PMCID: PMC10013745 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2219635120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2022] [Accepted: 01/27/2023] [Indexed: 03/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Covert endogenous (voluntary) attention improves visual performance. Human neuroimaging studies suggest that the putative human homolog of macaque frontal eye fields (FEF+) is critical for this improvement, whereas early visual areas are not. Yet, correlational MRI methods do not manipulate brain function. We investigated whether rFEF+ or V1/V2 plays a causal role in endogenous attention. We used transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to alter activity in the visual cortex or rFEF+ when observers performed an orientation discrimination task while attention was manipulated. On every trial, they received double-pulse TMS at a predetermined site (stimulated region) around V1/V2 or rFEF+. Two cortically magnified gratings were presented, one in the stimulated region (contralateral to the stimulated area) and another in the symmetric (ipsilateral) nonstimulated region. Grating contrast was varied to measure contrast response functions (CRFs) for all attention and stimulation combinations. In experiment 1, the CRFs were similar at the stimulated and nonstimulated regions, indicating that early visual areas do not modulate endogenous attention during stimulus presentation. In contrast, occipital TMS eliminates exogenous (involuntary) attention effects on performance [A. Fernández, M. Carrasco,Curr. Biol. 30, 4078-4084 (2020)]. In experiment 2, rFEF+ stimulation decreased the overall attentional effect; neither benefits at the attended location nor costs at the unattended location were significant. The frequency and directionality of microsaccades mimicked this pattern: Whereas occipital stimulation did not affect microsaccades, rFEF+ stimulation caused a higher microsaccade rate directed toward the stimulated hemifield. These results provide causal evidence of the role of this frontal region for endogenous attention.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Nina M. Hanning
- Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, NY10003
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY10003
- Department of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 12489Berlin, Germany
| | - Marisa Carrasco
- Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, NY10003
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY10003
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22
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Srinivasan K, Lowet E, Gomes B, Desimone R. Stimulus representations in visual cortex shaped by spatial attention and microsaccades. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.02.25.529300. [PMID: 36909549 PMCID: PMC10002663 DOI: 10.1101/2023.02.25.529300] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/02/2023]
Abstract
Microsaccades (MSs) are commonly associated with spatially directed attention, but how they affect visual processing is still not clear. We studied MSs in a task in which the animal was randomly cued to attend to a target stimulus and ignore distractors, and it was rewarded for detecting a color change in the target. We found that the enhancement of firing rates normally found with attention to a cued stimulus was delayed until the first MS directed towards that stimulus. Once that MS occurred, attention to the target was engaged and there were persistent effects of attention on firing rates for the remainder of the trial. These effects were found in the superficial and deep layers of V4 as well as the lateral pulvinar and IT cortex. Although the tuning curves of V4 cells do not change depending on the locus of spatial attention, we found pronounced effects of MS direction on stimulus representations that persisted for the length of the trial in V4. In intervals following a MS towards the target in the RF, stimulus decoding from population activity was substantially better than in intervals following a MS away from the target. Likewise, turning curves of cells were substantially sharper following a MS towards the target in the RF. This sharpening appeared to result from both a "refreshing" of the initial transient sensory response to stimulus onset, and a magnification of the effects of attention in this condition. MSs to the target also enhanced the neuronal response to the behaviorally relevant target color change and led to faster reaction times. These results thus reveal a major link between spatial attention, object processing and its coordination with eye movements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karthik Srinivasan
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Eric Lowet
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Bruno Gomes
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém-Pa, Brazil
| | - Robert Desimone
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
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23
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Umemoto S, Hirata Y. Emerging order of anomalous eye movements with progressive drowsiness. J Vis 2023; 23:17. [PMID: 36696121 PMCID: PMC9896843 DOI: 10.1167/jov.23.1.17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
It has been widely recognized that human alertness is reflected in the eyes (e.g., when drowsiness, miosis, slow saccades, divergence, less compensatory vestibulo-ocular reflex, and less-accurate optokinetic response and smooth pursuit emerge). Previous studies that discovered these pupil/oculomotor anomalous behaviors along with lowering alertness evaluated only one or a few of them simultaneously, thus their emergence order is yet unknown. Presently, we focused on the following five pupil/oculomotor behaviors that can be evaluated under a natural stationary environment without giving external sensory stimulations: saccades, slow-phase eye movements, vergence, pupil diameter, and blinks. We demonstrate that their anomalous behaviors emerge in the following order: first: frequent saccades; second: slow saccades; third: divergence & miosis, then slow eye movement, while elongated eyelid closure duration emerges randomly in this sequence. These results provide a basis for the oculo-pupillometry-enabling objective monitoring of progressive drowsiness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shunya Umemoto
- Department of Computer Science, Chubu University Graduate School of Engineering, Aichi, Japan.,
| | - Yutaka Hirata
- Department of Robotic Science and Technology, Chubu University College of Engineering, Aichi, Japan.,Academy of Emerging Sciences, Chubu University, Aichi, Japan.,Center for Mathematical Science and Artificial Intelligence, Chubu University, Aichi, Japan.,
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24
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Williams N, Olson CR. Independent repetition suppression in macaque area V2 and inferotemporal cortex. J Neurophysiol 2022; 128:1421-1434. [PMID: 36350050 PMCID: PMC9678433 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00043.2022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2022] [Revised: 10/11/2022] [Accepted: 10/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
When a complexly structured natural image is presented twice in succession, first as adapter and then as test, neurons in area TE of macaque inferotemporal cortex exhibit repetition suppression, responding less strongly to the second presentation than to the first. This phenomenon, which has been studied primarily in TE, might plausibly be argued to arise in TE because TE neurons respond selectively to complex images and thus carry information adequate for determining whether an image is or is not a repeat. However, the idea has never been put to a direct test. To resolve this issue, we monitored neuronal responses to sequences of complex natural images under identical conditions in areas V2 and TE. We found that repetition suppression occurs in both areas. Moreover, in each area, suppression takes the form of a dynamic alteration whereby the initial peak of excitation is followed by a trough and then a rebound of firing rate. To assess whether repetition suppression in either area is transmitted from the other area, we analyzed the timing of the phenomenon and its degree of spatial generalization. Suppression occurs at shorter latency in V2 than in TE. Therefore it is not simply fed back from TE. Suppression occurs in TE but not in V2 under conditions in which the test and adapter are presented in different visual field quadrants. Therefore it is not simply fed forward from V2. We conclude that repetition suppression occurs independently in V2 and TE.NEW & NOTEWORTHY When a complexly structured natural image is presented twice in rapid succession, neurons in inferotemporal area TE exhibit repetition suppression, responding less strongly to the second than to the first presentation. We have explored whether this phenomenon is confined to high-order areas where neurons respond selectively to such images and thus carry information relevant to recognizing a repeat. We have found surprisingly that repetition suppression occurs even in low-order visual area V2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathaniel Williams
- Neuroscience Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Department of Biological Sciences, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Carl R Olson
- Neuroscience Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Department of Biological Sciences, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
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25
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Wu Y, Wang T, Zhou T, Li Y, Yang Y, Dai W, Zhang Y, Han C, Xing D. V1-bypassing suppression leads to direction-specific microsaccade modulation in visual coding and perception. Nat Commun 2022; 13:6366. [PMID: 36289224 PMCID: PMC9606005 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-34057-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2022] [Accepted: 10/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Microsaccades play a critical role in refreshing visual information and have been shown to have direction-specific influences on human perception. However, the neural mechanisms underlying such direction-specific effects remains unknown. Here, we report the emergence of direction-specific microsaccade modulation in the middle layer of V2 but not in V1: responses of V2 neurons after microsaccades moved toward their receptive fields were stronger than those when microsaccades moved away. The decreased responses from V1 to V2, which are correlated with the amplitude of microsaccades away from receptive fields, suggest topographically location-specific suppression from an oculomotor source. Consistent with directional effects in V2, microsaccades function as a guide for monkeys' behavior in a peripheral detection task; both can be explained by a dynamic neural network. Our findings suggest a V1-bypassing suppressive circuit for direction-specific microsaccade modulation in V2 and its functional influence on visual sensitivity, which highlights the optimal sampling nature of microsaccades.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yujie Wu
- grid.20513.350000 0004 1789 9964State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875 China
| | - Tian Wang
- grid.20513.350000 0004 1789 9964State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875 China ,grid.20513.350000 0004 1789 9964College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875 China
| | - Tingting Zhou
- grid.20513.350000 0004 1789 9964State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875 China
| | - Yang Li
- grid.20513.350000 0004 1789 9964State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875 China
| | - Yi Yang
- grid.20513.350000 0004 1789 9964State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875 China
| | - Weifeng Dai
- grid.20513.350000 0004 1789 9964State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875 China
| | - Yange Zhang
- grid.20513.350000 0004 1789 9964State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875 China
| | - Chuanliang Han
- grid.20513.350000 0004 1789 9964State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875 China
| | - Dajun Xing
- grid.20513.350000 0004 1789 9964State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875 China
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26
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Zyrianov V, Peterson CS, Guarnera DT, Behler J, Weston P, Sharif B, Maletic JI. Deja Vu: semantics-aware recording and replay of high-speed eye tracking and interaction data to support cognitive studies of software engineering tasks-methodology and analyses. EMPIRICAL SOFTWARE ENGINEERING 2022; 27:168. [PMID: 36159896 PMCID: PMC9486800 DOI: 10.1007/s10664-022-10209-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/13/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
The paper introduces a fundamental technological problem with collecting high-speed eye tracking data while studying software engineering tasks in an integrated development environment. The use of eye trackers is quickly becoming an important means to study software developers and how they comprehend source code and locate bugs. High quality eye trackers can record upwards of 120 to 300 gaze points per second. However, it is not always possible to map each of these points to a line and column position in a source code file (in the presence of scrolling and file switching) in real time at data rates over 60 gaze points per second without data loss. Unfortunately, higher data rates are more desirable as they allow for finer granularity and more accurate study analyses. To alleviate this technological problem, a novel method for eye tracking data collection is presented. Instead of performing gaze analysis in real time, all telemetry (keystrokes, mouse movements, and eye tracker output) data during a study is recorded as it happens. Sessions are then replayed at a much slower speed allowing for ample time to map gaze point positions to the appropriate file, line, and column to perform additional analysis. A description of the method and corresponding tool, Deja Vu, is presented. An evaluation of the method and tool is conducted using three different eye trackers running at four different speeds (60 Hz, 120 Hz, 150 Hz, and 300 Hz). This timing evaluation is performed in Visual Studio, Eclipse, and Atom IDEs. Results show that Deja Vu can playback 100% of the data recordings, correctly mapping the gaze to corresponding elements, making it a well-founded and suitable post processing step for future eye tracking studies in software engineering. Finally, a proof of concept replication analysis of four tasks from two previous studies is performed. Due to using the Deja Vu approach, this replication resulted in richer collected data and improved on the number of distinct syntactic categories that gaze was mapped on in the code.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vlas Zyrianov
- Department of Computer Science, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL USA
| | - Cole S. Peterson
- School of Computing, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE USA
| | - Drew T. Guarnera
- Department of Computer Science, The College of Wooster, Wooster, OH USA
| | - Joshua Behler
- Department of Computer Science, Kent State University, Kent, OH USA
| | - Praxis Weston
- Department of Computer Science, Kent State University, Kent, OH USA
| | - Bonita Sharif
- School of Computing, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE USA
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27
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Neuronal congruency effects in macaque prefrontal cortex. Nat Commun 2022; 13:4702. [PMID: 35948534 PMCID: PMC9365805 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-32382-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2021] [Accepted: 07/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
The interplay between task-relevant and task-irrelevant information may induce conflicts that impair behavioral performance, a.k.a. behavioral congruency effects. The neuronal mechanisms underlying behavioral congruency effects, however, are poorly understood. We recorded single unit activity in monkey prefrontal cortex using a task-switching paradigm and discovered a neuronal congruency effect (NCE) that is carried by target and distractor neurons which process target and distractor-related information, respectively. The former neurons provide more signal, the latter less noise in congruent compared to incongruent conditions, resulting in a better target representation. Such NCE is dominated by the level of congruency, and is not determined by the task rules the subjects used, their reaction times (RT), the length of the delay period, nor the response levels of the neurons. We propose that this NCE can explain behavioral congruency effects in general, as well as previous fMRI and EEG results in various conflict paradigms. Stimulus-induced conflicts impair behavior in conflict tasks resulting in a phenomenon known as the behavioral congruency effect. Here, the authors investigate the neural underpinnings of this phenomenon and report a neuronal congruency effect in macaque prefrontal cortex to explain this impairment.
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28
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Johnston R, Snyder AC, Khanna SB, Issar D, Smith MA. The eyes reflect an internal cognitive state hidden in the population activity of cortical neurons. Cereb Cortex 2022; 32:3331-3346. [PMID: 34963140 PMCID: PMC9340396 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhab418] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2020] [Revised: 10/19/2021] [Accepted: 10/20/2021] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Decades of research have shown that global brain states such as arousal can be indexed by measuring the properties of the eyes. The spiking responses of neurons throughout the brain have been associated with the pupil, small fixational saccades, and vigor in eye movements, but it has been difficult to isolate how internal states affect the eyes, and vice versa. While recording from populations of neurons in the visual and prefrontal cortex (PFC), we recently identified a latent dimension of neural activity called "slow drift," which appears to reflect a shift in a global brain state. Here, we asked if slow drift is correlated with the action of the eyes in distinct behavioral tasks. We recorded from visual cortex (V4) while monkeys performed a change detection task, and PFC, while they performed a memory-guided saccade task. In both tasks, slow drift was associated with the size of the pupil and the microsaccade rate, two external indicators of the internal state of the animal. These results show that metrics related to the action of the eyes are associated with a dominant and task-independent mode of neural activity that can be accessed in the population activity of neurons across the cortex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard Johnston
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA
- Neuroscience Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA
- Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA
| | - Adam C Snyder
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, 14627, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, 14642, USA
- Center for Visual Science, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, 14627, USA
| | - Sanjeev B Khanna
- Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15261, USA
| | - Deepa Issar
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA
- Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA
| | - Matthew A Smith
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA
- Neuroscience Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA
- Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA
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29
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Functional but not obligatory link between microsaccades and neural modulation by covert spatial attention. Nat Commun 2022; 13:3503. [PMID: 35715471 PMCID: PMC9205986 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-31217-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2021] [Accepted: 06/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Covert spatial attention is associated with spatial modulation of neural activity as well as with directional biases in fixational eye movements known as microsaccades. We studied how these two ‘fingerprints’ of attention are interrelated in humans. We investigated spatial modulation of 8-12 Hz EEG alpha activity and microsaccades when attention is directed internally within the spatial layout of visual working memory. Consistent with a common origin, spatial modulations of alpha activity and microsaccades co-vary: alpha lateralisation is stronger in trials with microsaccades toward versus away from the memorised location of the to-be-attended item and occurs earlier in trials with earlier microsaccades toward this item. Critically, however, trials without attention-driven microsaccades nevertheless show clear spatial modulation of alpha activity – comparable to trials with attention-driven microsaccades. Thus, directional biases in microsaccades correlate with neural signatures of spatial attention, but they are not necessary for neural modulation by spatial attention to be manifest. Covert visual spatial attention modulates neural activity and biases the direction of small eye movements, known as microsaccades. Here, the authors show that these two markers co-vary, but that microsaccades are not necessary for neural modulation by attention to occur.
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30
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Ramezanpour H, Fallah M. The role of temporal cortex in the control of attention. CURRENT RESEARCH IN NEUROBIOLOGY 2022; 3:100038. [PMID: 36685758 PMCID: PMC9846471 DOI: 10.1016/j.crneur.2022.100038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2021] [Revised: 02/05/2022] [Accepted: 04/01/2022] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Attention is an indispensable component of active vision. Contrary to the widely accepted notion that temporal cortex processing primarily focusses on passive object recognition, a series of very recent studies emphasize the role of temporal cortex structures, specifically the superior temporal sulcus (STS) and inferotemporal (IT) cortex, in guiding attention and implementing cognitive programs relevant for behavioral tasks. The goal of this theoretical paper is to advance the hypothesis that the temporal cortex attention network (TAN) entails necessary components to actively participate in attentional control in a flexible task-dependent manner. First, we will briefly discuss the general architecture of the temporal cortex with a focus on the STS and IT cortex of monkeys and their modulation with attention. Then we will review evidence from behavioral and neurophysiological studies that support their guidance of attention in the presence of cognitive control signals. Next, we propose a mechanistic framework for executive control of attention in the temporal cortex. Finally, we summarize the role of temporal cortex in implementing cognitive programs and discuss how they contribute to the dynamic nature of visual attention to ensure flexible behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hamidreza Ramezanpour
- Centre for Vision Research, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada,School of Kinesiology and Health Science, Faculty of Health, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada,VISTA: Vision Science to Application, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada,Corresponding author. Centre for Vision Research, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
| | - Mazyar Fallah
- Centre for Vision Research, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada,School of Kinesiology and Health Science, Faculty of Health, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada,VISTA: Vision Science to Application, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada,Department of Psychology, Faculty of Health, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada,Department of Human Health and Nutritional Sciences, College of Biological Science, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada,Corresponding author. Department of Human Health and Nutritional Sciences, College of Biological Science, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada.
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31
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Abstract
Eye movements are neither necessary nor sufficient to account for the neural effects associated with covert attention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Benedetto
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences and Center for Visual Science, University of Rochester, New York, United States
| | - Martina Poletti
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, the Center for Visual Science and the Department of Neuroscience, University of Rochester, Rochester, United States
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32
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Yu G, Herman JP, Katz LN, Krauzlis RJ. Microsaccades as a marker not a cause for attention-related modulation. eLife 2022; 11:74168. [PMID: 35289268 PMCID: PMC8923660 DOI: 10.7554/elife.74168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2021] [Accepted: 01/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent evidence suggests that microsaccades are causally linked to the attention-related modulation of neurons—specifically, that microsaccades toward the attended location are required for the subsequent changes in firing rate. These findings have raised questions about whether attention-related modulation is due to different states of attention as traditionally assumed or might instead be a secondary effect of microsaccades. Here, in two rhesus macaques, we tested the relationship between microsaccades and attention-related modulation in the superior colliculus (SC), a brain structure crucial for allocating attention. We found that attention-related modulation emerged even in the absence of microsaccades, was already present prior to microsaccades toward the cued stimulus, and persisted through the suppression of activity that accompanied all microsaccades. Nonetheless, consistent with previous findings, we also found significant attention-related modulation when microsaccades were directed toward, rather than away from, the cued location. Thus, despite the clear links between microsaccades and attention, microsaccades are not necessary for attention-related modulation, at least not in the SC. They do, however, provide an additional marker for the state of attention, especially at times when attention is shifting from one location to another.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gongchen Yu
- Laboratory of Sensorimotor Research, National Eye Institute
| | - James P Herman
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
| | - Leor N Katz
- Laboratory of Sensorimotor Research, National Eye Institute
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33
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Westerberg JA, Schall MS, Maier A, Woodman GF, Schall JD. Laminar microcircuitry of visual cortex producing attention-associated electric fields. eLife 2022; 11:72139. [PMID: 35089128 PMCID: PMC8846592 DOI: 10.7554/elife.72139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2021] [Accepted: 01/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Cognitive operations are widely studied by measuring electric fields through EEG and ECoG. However, despite their widespread use, the neural circuitry giving rise to these signals remains unknown because the functional architecture of cortical columns producing attention-associated electric fields has not been explored. Here, we detail the laminar cortical circuitry underlying an attention-associated electric field measured over posterior regions of the brain in humans and monkeys. First, we identified visual cortical area V4 as one plausible contributor to this attention-associated electric field through inverse modeling of cranial EEG in macaque monkeys performing a visual attention task. Next, we performed laminar neurophysiological recordings on the prelunate gyrus and identified the electric-field-producing dipoles as synaptic activity in distinct cortical layers of area V4. Specifically, activation in the extragranular layers of cortex resulted in the generation of the attention-associated dipole. Feature selectivity of a given cortical column determined the overall contribution to this electric field. Columns selective for the attended feature contributed more to the electric field than columns selective for a different feature. Last, the laminar profile of synaptic activity generated by V4 was sufficient to produce an attention-associated signal measurable outside of the column. These findings suggest that the top-down recipient cortical layers produce an attention-associated electric field that can be measured extracortically with the relative contribution of each column depending upon the underlying functional architecture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob A Westerberg
- Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, United States
| | - Michelle S Schall
- Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, United States
| | - Alexander Maier
- Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, United States
| | - Geoffrey F Woodman
- Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, United States
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34
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Rima S, Schmid MC. Reading Specific Small Saccades Predict Individual Phonemic Awareness and Reading Speed. Front Neurosci 2021; 15:663242. [PMID: 34966251 PMCID: PMC8710594 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2021.663242] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2021] [Accepted: 11/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Small fixational eye-movements are a fundamental aspect of vision and thought to reflect fine shifts in covert attention during active viewing. While the perceptual benefits of these small eye movements have been demonstrated during a wide range of experimental tasks including during free viewing, their function during reading remains surprisingly unclear. Previous research demonstrated that readers with increased microsaccade rates displayed longer reading speeds. To what extent increased fixational eye movements are, however, specific to reading and might be indicative of reading skill deficits remains, however, unknown. To address this topic, we compared the eye movement scan paths of 13 neurotypical individuals and 13 subjects diagnosed with developmental dyslexia during short story reading and free viewing of natural scenes. We found that during reading only, dyslexics tended to display small eye movements more frequently compared to neurotypicals, though this effect was not significant at the population level, as it could also occur in slow readers not diagnosed as dyslexics. In line with previous research, neurotypical readers had twice as many regressive compared to progressive microsaccades, which did not occur during free viewing. In contrast, dyslexics showed similar amounts of regressive and progressive small fixational eye movements during both reading and free viewing. We also found that participants with smaller fixational saccades from both neurotypical and dyslexic samples displayed reduced reading speeds and lower scores during independent tests of reading skill. Slower readers also displayed greater variability in the landing points and temporal occurrence of their fixational saccades. Both the rate and spatio-temporal variability of fixational saccades were associated with lower phonemic awareness scores. As none of the observed differences between dyslexics and neurotypical readers occurred during control experiments with free viewing, the reported effects appear to be directly related to reading. In summary, our results highlight the predictive value of small saccades for reading skill, but not necessarily for developmental dyslexia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samy Rima
- Department of Sport and Neuroscience, Faculty of Science and Medicine, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - Michael C Schmid
- Department of Sport and Neuroscience, Faculty of Science and Medicine, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland.,Bioscience Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
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35
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A Stable Population Code for Attention in Prefrontal Cortex Leads a Dynamic Attention Code in Visual Cortex. J Neurosci 2021; 41:9163-9176. [PMID: 34583956 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0608-21.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2021] [Revised: 08/13/2021] [Accepted: 09/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Attention often requires maintaining a stable mental state over time while simultaneously improving perceptual sensitivity. These requirements place conflicting demands on neural populations, as sensitivity implies a robust response to perturbation by incoming stimuli, which is antithetical to stability. Functional specialization of cortical areas provides one potential mechanism to resolve this conflict. We reasoned that attention signals in executive control areas might be highly stable over time, reflecting maintenance of the cognitive state, thereby freeing up sensory areas to be more sensitive to sensory input (i.e., unstable), which would be reflected by more dynamic attention signals in those areas. To test these predictions, we simultaneously recorded neural populations in prefrontal cortex (PFC) and visual cortical area V4 in rhesus macaque monkeys performing an endogenous spatial selective attention task. Using a decoding approach, we found that the neural code for attention states in PFC was substantially more stable over time compared with the attention code in V4 on a moment-by-moment basis, in line with our guiding thesis. Moreover, attention signals in PFC predicted the future attention state of V4 better than vice versa, consistent with a top-down role for PFC in attention. These results suggest a functional specialization of attention mechanisms across cortical areas with a division of labor. PFC signals the cognitive state and maintains this state stably over time, whereas V4 responds to sensory input in a manner dynamically modulated by that cognitive state.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Attention requires maintaining a stable mental state while simultaneously improving perceptual sensitivity. We hypothesized that these two demands (stability and sensitivity) are distributed between prefrontal and visual cortical areas, respectively. Specifically, we predicted attention signals in visual cortex would be less stable than in prefrontal cortex, and furthermore prefrontal cortical signals would predict attention signals in visual cortex in line with the hypothesized role of prefrontal cortex in top-down executive control. Our results are consistent with suggestions deriving from previous work using separate recordings in the two brain areas in different animals performing different tasks and represent the first direct evidence in support of this hypothesis with simultaneous multiarea recordings within individual animals.
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36
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Abstract
Working memory (WM) is the ability to maintain and manipulate information in the conscious mind over a timescale of seconds. This ability is thought to be maintained through the persistent discharges of neurons in a network of brain areas centered on the prefrontal cortex, as evidenced by neurophysiological recordings in nonhuman primates, though both the localization and the neural basis of WM has been a matter of debate in recent years. Neural correlates of WM are evident in species other than primates, including rodents and corvids. A specialized network of excitatory and inhibitory neurons, aided by neuromodulatory influences of dopamine, is critical for the maintenance of neuronal activity. Limitations in WM capacity and duration, as well as its enhancement during development, can be attributed to properties of neural activity and circuits. Changes in these factors can be observed through training-induced improvements and in pathological impairments. WM thus provides a prototypical cognitive function whose properties can be tied to the spiking activity of brain neurons. © 2021 American Physiological Society. Compr Physiol 11:1-41, 2021.
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Affiliation(s)
- Russell J Jaffe
- Department of Neurobiology & Anatomy, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA
| | - Christos Constantinidis
- Department of Neurobiology & Anatomy, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
- Neuroscience Program, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
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37
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Bedini M, Baldauf D. Structure, function and connectivity fingerprints of the frontal eye field versus the inferior frontal junction: A comprehensive comparison. Eur J Neurosci 2021; 54:5462-5506. [PMID: 34273134 PMCID: PMC9291791 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.15393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2021] [Revised: 06/16/2021] [Accepted: 07/02/2021] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
The human prefrontal cortex contains two prominent areas, the frontal eye field and the inferior frontal junction, that are crucially involved in the orchestrating functions of attention, working memory and cognitive control. Motivated by comparative evidence in non-human primates, we review the human neuroimaging literature, suggesting that the functions of these regions can be clearly dissociated. We found remarkable differences in how these regions relate to sensory domains and visual topography, top-down and bottom-up spatial attention, spatial versus non-spatial (i.e., feature- and object-based) attention and working memory and, finally, the multiple-demand system. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies using multivariate pattern analysis reveal the selectivity of the frontal eye field and inferior frontal junction to spatial and non-spatial information, respectively. The analysis of functional and effective connectivity provides evidence of the modulation of the activity in downstream visual areas from the frontal eye field and inferior frontal junction and sheds light on their reciprocal influences. We therefore suggest that future studies should aim at disentangling more explicitly the role of these regions in the control of spatial and non-spatial selection. We propose that the analysis of the structural and functional connectivity (i.e., the connectivity fingerprints) of the frontal eye field and inferior frontal junction may be used to further characterize their involvement in a spatial ('where') and a non-spatial ('what') network, respectively, highlighting segregated brain networks that allow biasing visual selection and working memory performance to support goal-driven behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Bedini
- Center for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
| | - Daniel Baldauf
- Center for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
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38
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Hafed ZM, Yoshida M, Tian X, Buonocore A, Malevich T. Dissociable Cortical and Subcortical Mechanisms for Mediating the Influences of Visual Cues on Microsaccadic Eye Movements. Front Neural Circuits 2021; 15:638429. [PMID: 33776656 PMCID: PMC7991613 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2021.638429] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2020] [Accepted: 02/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Visual selection in primates is intricately linked to eye movements, which are generated by a network of cortical and subcortical neural circuits. When visual selection is performed covertly, without foveating eye movements toward the selected targets, a class of fixational eye movements, called microsaccades, is still involved. Microsaccades are small saccades that occur when maintaining precise gaze fixation on a stationary point, and they exhibit robust modulations in peripheral cueing paradigms used to investigate covert visual selection mechanisms. These modulations consist of changes in both microsaccade directions and frequencies after cue onsets. Over the past two decades, the properties and functional implications of these modulations have been heavily studied, revealing a potentially important role for microsaccades in mediating covert visual selection effects. However, the neural mechanisms underlying cueing effects on microsaccades are only beginning to be investigated. Here we review the available causal manipulation evidence for these effects' cortical and subcortical substrates. In the superior colliculus (SC), activity representing peripheral visual cues strongly influences microsaccade direction, but not frequency, modulations. In the cortical frontal eye fields (FEF), activity only compensates for early reflexive effects of cues on microsaccades. Using evidence from behavior, theoretical modeling, and preliminary lesion data from the primary visual cortex and microstimulation data from the lower brainstem, we argue that the early reflexive microsaccade effects arise subcortically, downstream of the SC. Overall, studying cueing effects on microsaccades in primates represents an important opportunity to link perception, cognition, and action through unaddressed cortical-subcortical neural interactions. These interactions are also likely relevant in other sensory and motor modalities during other active behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ziad M. Hafed
- Physiology of Active Vision Laboratory, Werner Reichardt Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, Tübingen University, Tübingen, Germany
- Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, Tübingen University, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Masatoshi Yoshida
- Center for Human Nature, Artificial Intelligence, and Neuroscience, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Xiaoguang Tian
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Pittsburgh Brain Institute, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Antimo Buonocore
- Physiology of Active Vision Laboratory, Werner Reichardt Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, Tübingen University, Tübingen, Germany
- Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, Tübingen University, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Tatiana Malevich
- Physiology of Active Vision Laboratory, Werner Reichardt Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, Tübingen University, Tübingen, Germany
- Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, Tübingen University, Tübingen, Germany
- Graduate School of Neural and Behavioural Sciences, International Max-Planck Research School, Tübingen University, Tübingen, Germany
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39
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van Kempen J, Gieselmann MA, Boyd M, Steinmetz NA, Moore T, Engel TA, Thiele A. Top-down coordination of local cortical state during selective attention. Neuron 2021; 109:894-904.e8. [PMID: 33406410 PMCID: PMC7927916 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2020.12.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2020] [Revised: 11/20/2020] [Accepted: 12/16/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Spontaneous fluctuations in cortical excitability influence sensory processing and behavior. These fluctuations, long thought to reflect global changes in cortical state, were recently found to be modulated locally within a retinotopic map during spatially selective attention. We report that periods of vigorous (On) and faint (Off) spiking activity, the signature of cortical state fluctuations, are coordinated across brain areas with retinotopic precision. Top-down attention enhanced interareal local state coordination, traversing along the reverse cortical hierarchy. The extent of local state coordination between areas was predictive of behavioral performance. Our results show that cortical state dynamics are shared across brain regions, modulated by cognitive demands and relevant for behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jochem van Kempen
- Biosciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU, UK.
| | - Marc A Gieselmann
- Biosciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU, UK
| | - Michael Boyd
- Biosciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU, UK
| | - Nicholas A Steinmetz
- Department of Biological Structure, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Tirin Moore
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Tatiana A Engel
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY 11724, USA
| | - Alexander Thiele
- Biosciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU, UK
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40
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Parto Dezfouli M, Zarei M, Constantinidis C, Daliri MR. Task-specific modulation of PFC activity for matching-rule governed decision-making. Brain Struct Funct 2021; 226:443-455. [PMID: 33398431 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-020-02191-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2020] [Accepted: 11/27/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Storing information from incoming stimuli in working memory (WM) is essential for decision-making. The prefrontal cortex (PFC) plays a key role to support this process. Previous studies have characterized different neuronal populations in the PFC for working memory judgements based on whether an originally presented stimulus matches a subsequently presented one (matching-rule decision-making). However, much remains to be understood about this mechanism at the population level of PFC neurons. Here, we hypothesized differences in processing of feature vs. spatial WM within the PFC during a matching-rule decision-making task. To test this hypothesis, the modulation of neural activity within the PFC during two types of decision-making tasks (spatial WM and feature WM) in comparison to a passive fixation task was determined. We discovered that neural population-level activity within the PFC is different for the match vs. non-match condition exclusively in the case of the feature-specific decision-making task. For this task, the non-match condition exhibited a greater firing rate and lower trial-to-trial variability in spike count compared to the feature-match condition. Furthermore, the feature-match condition exhibited lower variability compared to the spatial-match condition. This was accompanied by a faster behavioral response time for the feature-match compared to the spatial-match WM task. We attribute this lower across-trial spiking variability and behavioral response time to a higher task-relevant attentional level in the feature WM compared to the spatial WM task. The findings support our hypothesis for task-specific differences in the processing of feature vs. spatial WM within the PFC. This also confirms the general conclusion that PFC neurons play an important role during the process of matching-rule governed decision-making.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohsen Parto Dezfouli
- School of Cognitive Sciences (SCS), Institute for Research in Fundamental Sciences (IPM), Tehran, Iran. .,Neuroscience and Neuroengineering Research Laboratory, Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Electrical Engineering, Iran University of Science and Technology (IUST), Tehran, Iran.
| | - Mohammad Zarei
- School of Cognitive Sciences (SCS), Institute for Research in Fundamental Sciences (IPM), Tehran, Iran.,School of Electrical Engineering, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran
| | - Christos Constantinidis
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, 27157, USA
| | - Mohammad Reza Daliri
- School of Cognitive Sciences (SCS), Institute for Research in Fundamental Sciences (IPM), Tehran, Iran. .,Neuroscience and Neuroengineering Research Laboratory, Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Electrical Engineering, Iran University of Science and Technology (IUST), Tehran, Iran.
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41
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Cowley BR, Snyder AC, Acar K, Williamson RC, Yu BM, Smith MA. Slow Drift of Neural Activity as a Signature of Impulsivity in Macaque Visual and Prefrontal Cortex. Neuron 2020; 108:551-567.e8. [PMID: 32810433 PMCID: PMC7822647 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2020.07.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2020] [Revised: 06/15/2020] [Accepted: 07/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
An animal's decision depends not only on incoming sensory evidence but also on its fluctuating internal state. This state embodies multiple cognitive factors, such as arousal and fatigue, but it is unclear how these factors influence the neural processes that encode sensory stimuli and form a decision. We discovered that, unprompted by task conditions, animals slowly shifted their likelihood of detecting stimulus changes over the timescale of tens of minutes. Neural population activity from visual area V4, as well as from prefrontal cortex, slowly drifted together with these behavioral fluctuations. We found that this slow drift, rather than altering the encoding of the sensory stimulus, acted as an impulsivity signal, overriding sensory evidence to dictate the final decision. Overall, this work uncovers an internal state embedded in population activity across multiple brain areas and sheds further light on how internal states contribute to the decision-making process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin R Cowley
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA; Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA; Department of Machine Learning, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Adam C Snyder
- Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA; Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA; Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14642, USA; Department of Neuroscience, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14642, USA; Center for Visual Science, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14642, USA
| | - Katerina Acar
- Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA; Neuroscience Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA; Center for Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Ryan C Williamson
- Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA; Department of Machine Learning, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA; University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Byron M Yu
- Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA; Neuroscience Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA; Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Matthew A Smith
- Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA; Neuroscience Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA; Department of Ophthalmology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA.
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42
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Raveendran RN, Krishnan AK, Thompson B. Reduced fixation stability induced by peripheral viewing does not contribute to crowding. J Vis 2020; 20:3. [PMID: 33007078 PMCID: PMC7545060 DOI: 10.1167/jov.20.10.3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Attending to peripheral visual targets while maintaining central fixation, a process that involves covert attention, reduces fixation stability. Here, we tested the hypothesis that changes in fixation stability induced by peripheral viewing contribute to crowding in peripheral vision by increasing positional uncertainty. We first assessed whether fixation was less stable during peripheral versus central (foveal) viewing for both crowded and uncrowded stimuli. We then tested whether fixation stability during peripheral viewing was associated with the extent of crowding. Fourteen participants performed a tumbling E orientation discrimination task at three different eccentricities (0°, 5°, 10°). The target was presented with or without flankers. Fixational eye movements were measured using an infrared video-based eyetracker. A central fixation cross was provided for the two peripheral viewing conditions, and optotype size was scaled for each eccentricity. Discrimination of appropriately scaled uncrowded stimuli was unaffected by eccentricity, whereas discrimination of crowded stimuli deteriorated dramatically with eccentricity, despite scaling. Both crowded and uncrowded peripheral stimuli were associated with reduced fixation stability, increased microsaccadic amplitude, and a greater proportion of horizontal microsaccades relative to centrally presented stimuli. However, these effects were not associated with the magnitude of crowding. This suggests that reduced fixation stability due to peripheral viewing does not contribute to crowding in peripheral vision.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rajkumar Nallour Raveendran
- Envision Research Institute, Wichita, KS, USA.,School of Optometry and Vision Science, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada.,
| | | | - Benjamin Thompson
- School of Optometry and Vision Science, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada.,Centre for Eye and Vision Research, Hong Kong.,
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43
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Abstract
Rhythms are a fundamental and defining feature of neuronal activity in animals including humans. This rhythmic brain activity interacts in complex ways with rhythms in the internal and external environment through the phenomenon of 'neuronal entrainment', which is attracting increasing attention due to its suggested role in a multitude of sensory and cognitive processes. Some senses, such as touch and vision, sample the environment rhythmically, while others, like audition, are faced with mostly rhythmic inputs. Entrainment couples rhythmic brain activity to external and internal rhythmic events, serving fine-grained routing and modulation of external and internal signals across multiple spatial and temporal hierarchies. This interaction between a brain and its environment can be experimentally investigated and even modified by rhythmic sensory stimuli or invasive and non-invasive neuromodulation techniques. We provide a comprehensive overview of the topic and propose a theoretical framework of how neuronal entrainment dynamically structures information from incoming neuronal, bodily and environmental sources. We discuss the different types of neuronal entrainment, the conceptual advances in the field, and converging evidence for general principles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Lakatos
- Translational Neuroscience Laboratories, Nathan Kline Institute, Old Orangeburg Road 140, Orangeburg, New York 10962, USA; Department of Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, One, 8, Park Ave, New York, NY 10016, USA.
| | - Joachim Gross
- Institute for Biomagnetism and Biosignalanalysis, University of Muenster, Malmedyweg 15, 48149 Muenster, Germany; Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging (CCNi), Institute of Neuroscience and Psychology, University of Glasgow, 62 Hillhead Street, Glasgow, G12 8QB, UK.
| | - Gregor Thut
- Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging (CCNi), Institute of Neuroscience and Psychology, University of Glasgow, 62 Hillhead Street, Glasgow, G12 8QB, UK.
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44
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Wan Q, Cai Y, Samaha J, Postle BR. Tracking stimulus representation across a 2-back visual working memory task. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2020; 7:190228. [PMID: 32968489 PMCID: PMC7481691 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.190228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2020] [Accepted: 07/14/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
How does the neural representation of visual working memory content vary with behavioural priority? To address this, we recorded electroencephalography (EEG) while subjects performed a continuous-performance 2-back working memory task with oriented-grating stimuli. We tracked the transition of the neural representation of an item (n) from its initial encoding, to the status of 'unprioritized memory item' (UMI), and back to 'prioritized memory item', with multivariate inverted encoding modelling. Results showed that the representational format was remapped from its initially encoded format into a distinctive 'opposite' representational format when it became a UMI and then mapped back into its initial format when subsequently prioritized in anticipation of its comparison with item n + 2. Thus, contrary to the default assumption that the activity representing an item in working memory might simply get weaker when it is deprioritized, it may be that a process of priority-based remapping helps to protect remembered information when it is not in the focus of attention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Quan Wan
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Ying Cai
- Department of Psychology and Behavioral Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China
| | - Jason Samaha
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
| | - Bradley R. Postle
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI, USA
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45
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Barczak A, Haegens S, Ross DA, McGinnis T, Lakatos P, Schroeder CE. Dynamic Modulation of Cortical Excitability during Visual Active Sensing. Cell Rep 2020; 27:3447-3459.e3. [PMID: 31216467 PMCID: PMC6598687 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2019.05.072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2019] [Revised: 04/19/2019] [Accepted: 05/17/2019] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Visual physiology is traditionally investigated by presenting stimuli with gaze held constant. However, during active viewing of a scene, information is actively acquired using systematic patterns of fixations and saccades. Prior studies suggest that during such active viewing, both nonretinal, saccade-related signals and “extra-classical” receptive field inputs modulate visual processing. This study used a set of active viewing tasks that allowed us to compare visual responses with and without direct foveal input, thus isolating the contextual eye movement-related influences. Studying nonhuman primates, we find strong contextual modulation in primary visual cortex (V1): excitability and response amplification immediately after fixation onset, transiting to suppression leading up to the next saccade. Time-frequency decomposition suggests that this amplification and suppression cycle stems from a phase reset of ongoing neuronal oscillatory activity. The impact of saccade-related contextual modulation on stimulus processing makes active visual sensing fundamentally different from the more passive processes investigated in traditional paradigms. By isolating contextual eye movement-related influences during active vision, Barczak et al. show that eye movements affect excitability in V1 such that responses are amplified immediately after fixation onset and suppressed as the next saccade approaches. This amplification and suppression cycle stems from a phase reset of ambient oscillatory activity in V1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annamaria Barczak
- Translational Neuroscience Division, Center for Biomedical Imaging and Neuromodulation, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY 10962, USA.
| | - Saskia Haegens
- Translational Neuroscience Division, Center for Biomedical Imaging and Neuromodulation, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY 10962, USA; Departments of Neurological Surgery and Psychiatry, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY 10032, USA; Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, Radboud University, Nijmegen 6500HB, the Netherlands
| | - Deborah A Ross
- Translational Neuroscience Division, Center for Biomedical Imaging and Neuromodulation, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY 10962, USA
| | - Tammy McGinnis
- Translational Neuroscience Division, Center for Biomedical Imaging and Neuromodulation, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY 10962, USA
| | - Peter Lakatos
- Translational Neuroscience Division, Center for Biomedical Imaging and Neuromodulation, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY 10962, USA; Department of Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Charles E Schroeder
- Translational Neuroscience Division, Center for Biomedical Imaging and Neuromodulation, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY 10962, USA; Departments of Neurological Surgery and Psychiatry, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY 10032, USA.
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46
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Gundlach C, Forschack N. Commentary: Alpha Synchrony and the Neurofeedback Control of Spatial Attention. Front Neurosci 2020; 14:597. [PMID: 32612505 PMCID: PMC7308421 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2020.00597] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2020] [Accepted: 05/15/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Christopher Gundlach
- Experimental Psychology and Methods, Universität Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.,Department of Neurology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Norman Forschack
- Experimental Psychology and Methods, Universität Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.,Department of Neurology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
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47
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Shapcott KA, Schmiedt JT, Kouroupaki K, Kienitz R, Lazar A, Singer W, Schmid MC. Reward-Related Suppression of Neural Activity in Macaque Visual Area V4. Cereb Cortex 2020; 30:4871-4881. [PMID: 32350517 PMCID: PMC7391271 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhaa079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
In order for organisms to survive, they need to detect rewarding stimuli, for example, food or a mate, in a complex environment with many competing stimuli. These rewarding stimuli should be detected even if they are nonsalient or irrelevant to the current goal. The value-driven theory of attentional selection proposes that this detection takes place through reward-associated stimuli automatically engaging attentional mechanisms. But how this is achieved in the brain is not very well understood. Here, we investigate the effect of differential reward on the multiunit activity in visual area V4 of monkeys performing a perceptual judgment task. Surprisingly, instead of finding reward-related increases in neural responses to the perceptual target, we observed a large suppression at the onset of the reward indicating cues. Therefore, while previous research showed that reward increases neural activity, here we report a decrease. More suppression was caused by cues associated with higher reward than with lower reward, although neither cue was informative about the perceptually correct choice. This finding of reward-associated neural suppression further highlights normalization as a general cortical mechanism and is consistent with predictions of the value-driven attention theory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katharine A Shapcott
- Schmid Lab, Ernst Strüngmann Institute (ESI) for Neuroscience in Cooperation with Max Planck Society, Frankfurt a. M. 60528, Germany.,Singer Lab, Ernst Strüngmann Institute (ESI) for Neuroscience in Cooperation with Max Planck Society, Frankfurt a. M. 60528, Germany.,Singer Group, Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies, Frankfurt a. M. 60438, Germany
| | - Joscha T Schmiedt
- Schmid Lab, Ernst Strüngmann Institute (ESI) for Neuroscience in Cooperation with Max Planck Society, Frankfurt a. M. 60528, Germany
| | - Kleopatra Kouroupaki
- Schmid Lab, Ernst Strüngmann Institute (ESI) for Neuroscience in Cooperation with Max Planck Society, Frankfurt a. M. 60528, Germany
| | - Ricardo Kienitz
- Schmid Lab, Ernst Strüngmann Institute (ESI) for Neuroscience in Cooperation with Max Planck Society, Frankfurt a. M. 60528, Germany.,Biosciences Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4HH, UK.,Epilepsy Center Frankfurt Rhine-Main, Center of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Goethe University, Frankfurt a. M. 60528, Germany
| | - Andreea Lazar
- Singer Lab, Ernst Strüngmann Institute (ESI) for Neuroscience in Cooperation with Max Planck Society, Frankfurt a. M. 60528, Germany.,Singer Group, Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies, Frankfurt a. M. 60438, Germany
| | - Wolf Singer
- Singer Lab, Ernst Strüngmann Institute (ESI) for Neuroscience in Cooperation with Max Planck Society, Frankfurt a. M. 60528, Germany.,Singer Group, Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies, Frankfurt a. M. 60438, Germany
| | - Michael C Schmid
- Biosciences Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4HH, UK.,Faculty of Science and Medicine, University of Fribourg, Fribourg 1700, Switzerland
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48
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Rima S, Kerbyson G, Jones E, Schmid MC. Advantage of detecting visual events in the right hemifield is affected by reading skill. Vision Res 2020; 169:41-48. [PMID: 32172007 PMCID: PMC7103781 DOI: 10.1016/j.visres.2020.03.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2019] [Revised: 02/26/2020] [Accepted: 03/01/2020] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
Visual perception is often not homogenous across the visual field and can vary depending on situational demands. The reasons behind this inhomogeneity are not clear. Here we show that directing attention that is consistent with a western reading habit from left to right, results in a ~32% higher sensitivity to detect transient visual events in the right hemifield. This right visual field advantage was largely reduced in individuals with reading difficulties from developmental dyslexia. Similarly, visual detection became more symmetric in skilled readers, when attention was guided opposite to the reading pattern. Taken together, these findings highlight a higher sensitivity in the right visual field for detecting the onset of sudden visual events that is well accounted for by left hemisphere dominated reading habit.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samy Rima
- Universite de Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland.
| | - Grace Kerbyson
- Newcastle University, Institute of Neuroscience, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
| | - Elizabeth Jones
- Newcastle University, Institute of Neuroscience, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
| | - Michael C Schmid
- Newcastle University, Institute of Neuroscience, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom; Universite de Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland.
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49
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Alpha Synchrony and the Neurofeedback Control of Spatial Attention. Neuron 2020; 105:577-587.e5. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2019.11.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2019] [Revised: 08/16/2019] [Accepted: 10/31/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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50
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Abstract
Spatial attention is comprised of neural mechanisms that boost sensory processing at a behaviorally relevant location while filtering out competing information. The present review examines functional specialization in the network of brain regions that directs such preferential processing. This attention network includes both cortical (e.g., frontal and parietal cortices) and subcortical (e.g., the superior colliculus and the pulvinar nucleus of the thalamus) structures. Here, we piece together existing evidence that these various nodes of the attention network have dissociable functional roles by synthesizing results from electrophysiology and neuroimaging studies. We describe functional specialization across several dimensions (e.g., at different processing stages and within different behavioral contexts), while focusing on spatial attention as a dynamic process that unfolds over time. Functional contributions from each node of the attention network can change on a moment-to-moment timescale, providing the necessary cognitive flexibility for sampling from highly dynamic environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian C Fiebelkorn
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08544, USA;
| | - Sabine Kastner
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08544, USA;
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