1
|
Hosseini M, Zivony A, Eimer M, Wyble B, Bowman H. Transient Attention Gates Access Consciousness: Coupling N2pc and P3 Latencies Using Dynamic Time Warping. J Neurosci 2024; 44:e1798232024. [PMID: 38789261 PMCID: PMC11211722 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1798-23.2024] [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: 09/22/2023] [Revised: 05/15/2024] [Accepted: 05/18/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024] Open
Abstract
The N2pc and P3 event-related potentials (ERPs), used to index selective attention and access to working memory and conscious awareness, respectively, have been important tools in cognitive sciences. Although it is likely that these two components and the underlying cognitive processes are temporally and functionally linked, such links have not yet been convincingly demonstrated. Adopting a novel methodological approach based on dynamic time warping (DTW), we provide evidence that the N2pc and P3 ERP components are temporally linked. We analyzed data from an experiment where 23 participants (16 women) monitored bilateral rapid serial streams of letters and digits in order to report a target digit indicated by a shape cue, separately for trials with correct responses and trials where a temporally proximal distractor was reported instead (distractor intrusion). DTW analyses revealed that N2pc and P3 latencies were correlated in time, both when the target or a distractor was reported. Notably, this link was weaker on distractor intrusion trials. This N2pc-P3 association is discussed with respect to the relationship between attention and access consciousness. Our results demonstrate that our novel method provides a valuable approach for assessing temporal links between two cognitive processes and their underlying modulating factors. This method allows to establish links and their modulator for any two time-series across all domains of the field (general-purpose MATLAB functions and a Python module are provided alongside this paper).
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mahan Hosseini
- The School of Computing, University of Kent, Canterbury CT2 7NZ, United Kingdom
- Cognitive Neuroscience, Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-3), Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich 52428, Germany
| | - Alon Zivony
- University of Sheffield, Sheffield S1 4DP, United Kingdom
| | - Martin Eimer
- Birkbeck College, University of London, London WC1E 7HX, United Kingdom
| | - Brad Wyble
- Psychology Department, Penn State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16801
| | - Howard Bowman
- The School of Computing, University of Kent, Canterbury CT2 7NZ, United Kingdom
- School of Psychology and School of Computer Science, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Han X, Wang L, Yang S. Acousto-optic stimuli to promote coherent 40-Hz frequency entrainment effect. ARQUIVOS DE NEURO-PSIQUIATRIA 2023; 81:961-969. [PMID: 38035581 PMCID: PMC10689112 DOI: 10.1055/s-0043-1777008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2022] [Accepted: 08/26/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Research has shown that a fundamental frequency of 40 Hz in continuous neural oscillation is indicative of normal brain activity; in Alzheimer disease (AD) patients, these oscillations either disappear or are significantly interrupted. Research has also indicated that the degenerative impacts of AD in mice were mitigated by the synchronization of 40-Hz acousto-optic stimulation (AOS). OBJECTIVE To examine the impact of employing a 40-Hz AOS intervention on the induction of a substantial 40-Hz frequency entrainment and improvement in working memory performance among a sample of young individuals in good health. We conduct an analysis of event-related potentials (ERPs) derived from electroencephalogram (EEG) data following the presentation of AOS. METHODS We recruited 20 healthy volunteers (median age: 25 years; 8 female subjects). Following the administration of various stimuli, including no stimuli, 40-Hz AOS, pink noise, and 40Hz acoustic stimuli (AS), the participants were required to complete a working memory task. A total of 62 electrodes were used to record EEG data, which was subsequently analyzed to investigate the impact of AOS on the activity of working memory. We also aimed to determine if AOS lead to a more pronounced 40-Hz frequency entrainment. RESULTS Following the administration of AOS, a notable enhancement in the 40-Hz power of pertinent cerebral areas was observed, accompanied by a substantial improvement in the performance of the subjects on working memory tests subsequent to the stimulation. CONCLUSION The findings unequivocally establish the efficacy of using AOS to enhance the 40-Hz power and working memory.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xue Han
- Hebei University of Technology, School of Life Science and Health Engineering, Tianjin, China.
- Hebei University of Technology, State Key Laboratory of Reliability and Intelligence of Electrical Equipment, Tianjin, China.
| | - Lei Wang
- Hebei University of Technology, School of Life Science and Health Engineering, Tianjin, China.
- Hebei University of Technology, State Key Laboratory of Reliability and Intelligence of Electrical Equipment, Tianjin, China.
| | - Shuo Yang
- Hebei University of Technology, School of Life Science and Health Engineering, Tianjin, China.
- Hebei University of Technology, State Key Laboratory of Reliability and Intelligence of Electrical Equipment, Tianjin, China.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Miao Z, Wang J, Wang Y, Jiang Y, Chen Y, Wu X. The time course of category-based attentional template pre-activation depends on the category framework. Neuropsychologia 2023; 189:108667. [PMID: 37619937 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2023.108667] [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: 03/19/2023] [Revised: 08/20/2023] [Accepted: 08/21/2023] [Indexed: 08/26/2023]
Abstract
When searching for a target defined by a set of objects, attention can be directed toward task-relevant objects by creating a category-based attentional template (CAT). Previous studies have found that CAT can be activated before the onset of the target. However, the time course of CAT pre-activation and whether the category framework (prototypical or semantic) can modulate it remain unclear. To explore the time course of CAT pre-activation, we employed a rapid serial probe presentation paradigm (RSPP) with event-related potentials (ERPs). To investigate the effect of the category framework on the time course of CAT pre-activation, the target category was defined as the prototypical category (Experiment 1) or the semantic category (Experiment 2). The results showed that the prototype-based CAT was pre-activated 300 ms prior to the target, whereas the semantics-based CAT was pre-activated 1500 ms before the onset of the target. The difference in the time course of pre-activation between the two CAT types indicates that the category framework can modulate the time course of CAT pre-activation. Additionally, during the attentional selection phase, an overall comparison of the target revealed that a larger N2pc was elicited by the prototype-based CAT than by the semantics-based CAT, suggesting that the prototype-based CAT could capture more attention than the semantics-based CAT. The findings on the difference between the two CAT frameworks in the preparatory and attentional selection phases provide more evidence for categorical information in visual search and extend our understanding of the mechanism of categorical attentional selection.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zhiwei Miao
- Faculty of Psychology, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin, China; Department of Psychology, Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, 215000, China
| | - Junzhe Wang
- Faculty of Psychology, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin, China
| | - Yun Wang
- Faculty of Psychology, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin, China
| | - Yunpeng Jiang
- Faculty of Psychology, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin, China; Key Research Base of Humanities and Social Sciences of the Ministry of Education, Academy of Psychology and Behavior, Tianjin, China; Tianjin Social Science Laboratory of Students' Mental Development and Learning, Tianjin, China
| | - Ying Chen
- School of Vocational Education, Tianjin University of Technology and Education, Tianjin, China
| | - Xia Wu
- Faculty of Psychology, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin, China; Key Research Base of Humanities and Social Sciences of the Ministry of Education, Academy of Psychology and Behavior, Tianjin, China; Tianjin Social Science Laboratory of Students' Mental Development and Learning, Tianjin, China.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Chen X, Xu B, Chen Y, Zeng X, Zhang Y, Fu S. Saliency affects attentional capture and suppression of abrupt-onset and color singleton distractors: Evidence from event-related potential studies. Psychophysiology 2023:e14290. [PMID: 36946491 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14290] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2021] [Revised: 09/06/2022] [Accepted: 09/26/2022] [Indexed: 03/23/2023]
Abstract
Attention is the process of selecting relevant information and suppressing irrelevant information. However, it is still controversial whether attentional capture by salient but task-irrelevant stimuli operates in a bottom-up fashion (stimulus-driven theory) or a top-down fashion (goal-driven theory) or if even salient distractors can be suppressed before capturing attention (signal suppression theory). In the present study, we investigated how saliency affects attentional capture (indexed by N2-posterior-contralateral [N2pc]) and suppression (indexed by distractor positivity [PD ]) of abrupt-onset and color singleton distractors in a visual search task. Experiment 1 showed that an abrupt-onset distractor elicited both N2pc and PD , while a color singleton distractor elicited only PD . Moreover, the abrupt-onset distractor elicited a larger N2pc and a larger PD relative to the color singleton distractor. In addition, both distractors elicited an early positive component, the positivity posterior contralateral (Ppc), which was also larger for abrupt onsets than for color singletons. Experiment 2 further demonstrated that when both the abrupt onset and color singleton were designed as targets, and thus required no attentional suppression, Ppc was elicited, but PD was not. This corroborated the finding in Experiment 1 that the later PD , not the early Ppc, reflected attentional suppression. Therefore, a more salient distractor demonstrates stronger early perceptual processing, can capture attention better and needs more attentional resources to be suppressed later. Based on these results, a three-stage hypothesis is proposed, in which the saliency of a distractor modulates processing at early perception, attentional capture, and suppression stages.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xiaowen Chen
- Department of Psychology and Center for Brain and Cognitive Sciences, School of Education, Guangzhou University, 510006, Guangzhou, China
| | - Bing Xu
- Department of Psychology and Center for Brain and Cognitive Sciences, School of Education, Guangzhou University, 510006, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yanzhang Chen
- Department of Psychology and Center for Brain and Cognitive Sciences, School of Education, Guangzhou University, 510006, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xianqing Zeng
- Department of Psychology and Center for Brain and Cognitive Sciences, School of Education, Guangzhou University, 510006, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yue Zhang
- Department of Psychology and Center for Brain and Cognitive Sciences, School of Education, Guangzhou University, 510006, Guangzhou, China
| | - Shimin Fu
- Department of Psychology and Center for Brain and Cognitive Sciences, School of Education, Guangzhou University, 510006, Guangzhou, China
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Klatt LI, Begau A, Schneider D, Wascher E, Getzmann S. Cross-modal interactions at the audiovisual cocktail-party revealed by behavior, ERPs, and neural oscillations. Neuroimage 2023; 271:120022. [PMID: 36918137 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2023.120022] [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: 10/24/2022] [Revised: 02/21/2023] [Accepted: 03/10/2023] [Indexed: 03/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Theories of attention argue that objects are the units of attentional selection. In real-word environments such objects can contain visual and auditory features. To understand how mechanisms of selective attention operate in multisensory environments, in this pre-registered study, we created an audiovisual cocktail-party situation, in which two speakers (left and right of fixation) simultaneously articulated brief numerals. In three separate blocks, informative auditory speech was presented (a) alone or paired with (b) congruent or (c) uninformative visual speech. In all blocks, subjects localized a pre-defined numeral. While audiovisual-congruent and uninformative speech improved response times and speed of information uptake according to diffusion modeling, an ERP analysis revealed that this did not coincide with enhanced attentional engagement. Yet, consistent with object-based attentional selection, the deployment of auditory spatial attention (N2ac) was accompanied by visuo-spatial attentional orienting (N2pc) irrespective of the informational content of visual speech. Notably, an N2pc component was absent in the auditory-only condition, demonstrating that a sound-induced shift of visuo-spatial attention relies on the availability of audio-visual features evolving coherently in time. Additional exploratory analyses revealed cross-modal interactions in working memory and modulations of cognitive control.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Laura-Isabelle Klatt
- Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors, Dortmund, Germany.
| | - Alexandra Begau
- Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors, Dortmund, Germany
| | - Daniel Schneider
- Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors, Dortmund, Germany
| | - Edmund Wascher
- Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors, Dortmund, Germany
| | - Stephan Getzmann
- Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors, Dortmund, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Abstract
Many models of attention assume that attentional selection takes place at a specific moment in time that demarcates the critical transition from pre-attentive to attentive processing of sensory input. We argue that this intuitively appealing standard account of attentional selectivity is not only inaccurate, but has led to substantial conceptual confusion. As an alternative, we offer a 'diachronic' framework that describes attentional selectivity as a process that unfolds over time. Key to this view is the concept of attentional episodes, brief periods of intense attentional amplification of sensory representations that regulate access to working memory and response-related processes. We describe how attentional episodes are linked to earlier attentional mechanisms and to recurrent processing at the neural level. We review studies that establish the existence of attentional episodes, delineate the factors that determine if and when they are triggered, and discuss the costs associated with processing multiple events within a single episode. Finally, we argue that this framework offers new solutions to old problems in attention research that have never been resolved. It can provide a unified and conceptually coherent account of the network of cognitive and neural processes that produce the goal-directed selectivity in perceptual processing that is commonly referred to as 'attention'.
Collapse
|
7
|
Spatial filtering restricts the attentional window during both singleton and feature-based visual search. Atten Percept Psychophys 2020; 82:2360-2378. [PMID: 31993978 DOI: 10.3758/s13414-020-01977-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
We investigated whether spatial filtering can restrict attentional selectivity during visual search to a currently task-relevant attentional window. While effective filtering has been demonstrated during singleton search, feature-based attention is believed to operate spatially globally across the entire visual field. To test whether spatial filtering depends on search mode, we assessed its efficiency both during feature-guided search with colour-defined targets and during singleton search tasks. Search displays were preceded by spatial cues. Participants responded to target objects at cued/relevant locations, and ignored them when they appeared on the uncued/irrelevant side. In four experiments, electrophysiological markers of attentional selection and distractor suppression (N2pc and PD components) were measured for relevant and irrelevant target-matching objects. During singleton search, N2pc components were triggered by relevant target singletons, but were entirely absent for singletons on the irrelevant side, demonstrating effective spatial filtering. Critically, similar results were found for feature-based search. N2pcs to irrelevant target-colour objects were either absent or strongly attenuated (when these objects were salient), indicating that the feature-based guidance of visual search can be restricted to relevant locations. The presence of PD components to salient objects on the irrelevant side during feature-based and singleton search suggests that spatial filtering involves active distractor suppression. These results challenge the assumption that feature-based attentional guidance is always spatially global. They suggest instead that when advance information about target locations becomes available, effective spatial filtering processes are activated transiently not only in singleton search, but also during search for feature-defined targets.
Collapse
|
8
|
Doro M, Bellini F, Brigadoi S, Eimer M, Dell'Acqua R. A bilateral N2pc (N2pcb) component is elicited by search targets displayed on the vertical midline. Psychophysiology 2019; 57:e13512. [DOI: 10.1111/psyp.13512] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2019] [Revised: 11/11/2019] [Accepted: 11/18/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Mattia Doro
- Department of Developmental Psychology University of Padova Padova Italy
| | - Francesco Bellini
- Department of Developmental Psychology University of Padova Padova Italy
| | - Sabrina Brigadoi
- Department of Developmental Psychology University of Padova Padova Italy
| | - Martin Eimer
- Department of Psychological Sciences Birkbeck University of London London UK
| | - Roberto Dell'Acqua
- Department of Developmental Psychology University of Padova Padova Italy
- Padova Neuroscience Center University of Padova Padova Italy
| |
Collapse
|