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Tünçok E, Carrasco M, Winawer J. Spatial attention alters visual cortical representation during target anticipation. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.03.02.583127. [PMID: 38496524 PMCID: PMC10942396 DOI: 10.1101/2024.03.02.583127] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/19/2024]
Abstract
Attention enables us to efficiently and flexibly interact with the environment by prioritizing some image features in preparation for responding to a stimulus. Using a concurrent psychophysics- fMRI experiment, we investigated how covert spatial attention affects responses in human visual cortex prior to target onset, and how it affects subsequent behavioral performance. Performance improved at cued locations and worsened at uncued locations, relative to distributed attention, demonstrating a selective tradeoff in processing. Pre-target BOLD responses in cortical visual field maps changed in two ways: First, there was a stimulus-independent baseline shift, positive in map locations near the cued location and negative elsewhere, paralleling the behavioral results. Second, population receptive field centers shifted toward the attended location. Both effects increased in higher visual areas. Together, the results show that spatial attention has large effects on visual cortex prior to target appearance, altering neural response properties throughout and across multiple visual field maps.
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2
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Heo MQ, English MCW, Maybery MT, Visser TAW. Visuospatial cueing differences as a function of autistic traits. Atten Percept Psychophys 2024; 86:1342-1359. [PMID: 38561567 PMCID: PMC11093807 DOI: 10.3758/s13414-024-02871-0] [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] [Accepted: 02/20/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
Atypical orienting of visuospatial attention in autistic individuals or individuals with a high level of autistic-like traits (ALTs) has been well documented and viewed as a core feature underlying the development of autism. However, there has been limited testing of three alternative theoretical positions advanced to explain atypical orienting - difficulty in disengagement, cue indifference, and delay in orienting. Moreover, research commonly has not separated facilitation (reaction time difference between neutral and valid cues) and cost effects (reaction time difference between invalid and neutral cues) in orienting tasks. We addressed these limitations in two experiments that compared groups selected for Low- and High-ALT levels on exogenous and endogenous versions of the Posner cueing paradigm. Experiment 1 showed that High-ALT participants exhibited a significantly reduced cost effect compared to Low-ALT participants in the endogenous cueing task, although the overall orienting effect remained small. In Experiment 2, we increased task difficulty of the endogenous task to augment cueing effects. Results were comparable to Experiment 1 regarding the finding of a reduced cost effect for High-ALT participants on the endogenous cueing task and additionally demonstrated a reduced facilitation effect in High-ALT participants on the same task. No ALT group differences were observed on an exogenous cueing task included in Experiment 2. These findings suggest atypical orienting in High-ALT individuals may be attributable to general cue indifference, which implicates differences in top-down attentional processes between Low- and High-ALT individuals. We discuss how indifference to endogenous cues may contribute to social cognitive differences in autism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min Quan Heo
- School of Psychological Science, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA, 6009, Australia.
| | - Michael C W English
- School of Psychological Science, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA, 6009, Australia
| | - Murray T Maybery
- School of Psychological Science, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA, 6009, Australia
| | - Troy A W Visser
- School of Psychological Science, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA, 6009, Australia
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3
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Lee HH, Fernández A, Carrasco M. Adaptation and exogenous attention interact in the early visual cortex: A TMS study. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2023.10.27.563093. [PMID: 37961163 PMCID: PMC10634897 DOI: 10.1101/2023.10.27.563093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2023]
Abstract
Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to early visual cortex modulates the effect of adaptation and eliminates the effect of exogenous (involuntary) attention on contrast sensitivity. Here we investigated whether adaptation modulates exogenous attention under TMS to V1/V2. Observers performed an orientation discrimination task while attending to one of two stimuli, with or without adaptation. Following an attentional cue, two stimuli were presented in the stimulated region and its contralateral symmetric region. A response cue indicated the stimulus whose orientation observers had to discriminate. Without adaptation, in the distractor-stimulated condition, contrast sensitivity increased at the attended location and decreased at the unattended location via response gain-but these effects were eliminated in the target-stimulated condition. Critically, after adaptation, exogenous attention altered performance similarly in both distractor-stimulated and target-stimulated conditions. These results reveal that (1) adaptation and attention interact in the early visual cortex, and (2) adaptation shields exogenous attention from TMS effects.
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4
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Duyar A, Ren S, Carrasco M. When temporal attention interacts with expectation. Sci Rep 2024; 14:4624. [PMID: 38409235 PMCID: PMC10897459 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-55399-6] [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: 12/08/2023] [Accepted: 02/22/2024] [Indexed: 02/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Temporal attention is voluntarily deployed at specific moments, whereas temporal expectation is deployed according to timing probabilities. When the target appears at an expected moment in a sequence, temporal attention improves performance at the attended moments, but the timing and the precision of the attentional window remain unknown. Here we independently and concurrently manipulated temporal attention-via behavioral relevance-and temporal expectation-via session-wise precision and trial-wise hazard rate-to investigate whether and how these mechanisms interact to improve perception. Our results reveal that temporal attention interacts with temporal expectation-the higher the precision, the stronger the attention benefit, but surprisingly this benefit decreased with delayed onset despite the increasing probability of stimulus appearance. When attention was suboptimally deployed to earlier than expected moments, it could not be reoriented to a later time point. These findings provide evidence that temporal attention and temporal expectation are different mechanisms, and highlight their interplay in optimizing visual performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aysun Duyar
- Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, NY, USA.
| | - Shiyang Ren
- 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
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5
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Fakche C, Dugué L. Perceptual Cycles Travel Across Retinotopic Space. J Cogn Neurosci 2024; 36:200-216. [PMID: 37902594 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_02075] [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] [Indexed: 10/31/2023]
Abstract
Visual perception waxes and wanes periodically over time at low frequencies (theta: 4-7 Hz; alpha: 8-13 Hz), creating "perceptual cycles." These perceptual cycles can be induced when stimulating the brain with a flickering visual stimulus at the theta or alpha frequency. Here, we took advantage of the well-known organization of the visual system into retinotopic maps (topographic correspondence between visual and cortical spaces) to assess the spatial organization of induced perceptual cycles. Specifically, we tested the hypothesis that they can propagate across the retinotopic space. A disk oscillating in luminance (inducer) at 4, 6, 8, or 10 Hz was presented in the periphery of the visual field to induce perceptual cycles at specific frequencies. EEG recordings verified that the brain responded at the corresponding inducer frequencies and their first harmonics. Perceptual cycles were assessed with a concurrent detection task-target stimuli were displayed at threshold contrast (50% detection) at random times during the inducer. Behavioral results confirmed that perceptual performance was modulated periodically by the inducer at each frequency. We additionally manipulated the distance between the target and the inducer (three possible positions) and showed that the optimal phase, that is, moment of highest target detection, shifted across target distance to the inducer, specifically when its flicker frequency was in the alpha range (8 and 10 Hz). These results demonstrate that induced alpha perceptual cycles travel across the retinotopic space in humans at a propagation speed of 0.3-0.5 m/sec, consistent with the speed of unmyelinated horizontal connections in the visual cortex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camille Fakche
- Université Paris Cité, CNRS, Integrative Neuroscience and Cognition Center, Paris, France
| | - Laura Dugué
- Université Paris Cité, CNRS, Integrative Neuroscience and Cognition Center, Paris, France
- Institut Universitaire de France
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6
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Kirschhock ME, Nieder A. Numerical Representation for Action in Crows Obeys the Weber-Fechner Law. Psychol Sci 2023; 34:1322-1335. [PMID: 37883792 DOI: 10.1177/09567976231201624] [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] [Indexed: 10/28/2023] Open
Abstract
The psychophysical laws governing the judgment of perceived numbers of objects or events, called the number sense, have been studied in detail. However, the behavioral principles of equally important numerical representations for action are largely unexplored in both humans and animals. We trained two male carrion crows (Corvus corone) to judge numerical values of instruction stimuli from one to five and to flexibly perform a matching number of pecks. Our quantitative analysis of the crows' number production performance shows the same behavioral regularities that have previously been demonstrated for the judgment of sensory numerosity, such as the numerical distance effect, the numerical magnitude effect, and the logarithmical compression of the number line. The presence of these psychophysical phenomena in crows producing number of pecks suggests a unified sensorimotor number representation system underlying the judgment of the number of external stimuli and internally generated actions.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Andreas Nieder
- Animal Physiology Unit, Institute of Neurobiology, University of Tübingen
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7
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Dubey A, Markowitz DA, Pesaran B. Top-down control of exogenous attentional selection is mediated by beta coherence in prefrontal cortex. Neuron 2023; 111:3321-3334.e5. [PMID: 37499660 PMCID: PMC10935562 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2023.06.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2022] [Revised: 11/30/2022] [Accepted: 06/26/2023] [Indexed: 07/29/2023]
Abstract
Salience-driven exogenous and goal-driven endogenous attentional selection are two distinct forms of attention that guide selection of task-irrelevant and task-relevant targets in primates. Top-down attentional control mechanisms enable selection of the task-relevant target by limiting the influence of sensory information. Although the lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC) is known to mediate top-down control, the neuronal mechanisms of top-down control of attentional selection are poorly understood. Here, we trained two rhesus monkeys on a two-target, free-choice luminance-reward selection task. We demonstrate that visual-movement (VM) neurons and nonvisual neurons or movement neurons encode exogenous and endogenous selection. We then show that coherent beta activity selectively modulates mechanisms of exogenous selection specifically during conflict and consequently may support top-down control. These results reveal the VM-neuron-specific network mechanisms of attentional selection and suggest a functional role for beta-frequency coherent neural dynamics in the modulation of sensory communication channels for the top-down control of attentional selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agrita Dubey
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA
| | - David A Markowitz
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA
| | - Bijan Pesaran
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA; Departments of Neurosurgery, Neuroscience, and Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
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8
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Picci G, Ott LR, Petro NM, Casagrande CC, Killanin AD, Rice DL, Coutant AT, Arif Y, Embury CM, Okelberry HJ, Johnson HJ, Springer SD, Pulliam HR, Wang YP, Calhoun VD, Stephen JM, Heinrichs-Graham E, Taylor BK, Wilson TW. Developmental alterations in the neural oscillatory dynamics underlying attentional reorienting. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2023; 63:101288. [PMID: 37567094 PMCID: PMC10432959 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2023.101288] [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: 01/13/2023] [Revised: 07/23/2023] [Accepted: 08/04/2023] [Indexed: 08/13/2023] Open
Abstract
The neural and cognitive processes underlying the flexible allocation of attention undergo a protracted developmental course with changes occurring throughout adolescence. Despite documented age-related improvements in attentional reorienting throughout childhood and adolescence, the neural correlates underlying such changes in reorienting remain unclear. Herein, we used magnetoencephalography (MEG) to examine neural dynamics during a Posner attention-reorienting task in 80 healthy youth (6-14 years old). The MEG data were examined in the time-frequency domain and significant oscillatory responses were imaged in anatomical space. During the reorienting of attention, youth recruited a distributed network of regions in the fronto-parietal network, along with higher-order visual regions within the theta (3-7 Hz) and alpha-beta (10-24 Hz) spectral windows. Beyond the expected developmental improvements in behavioral performance, we found stronger theta oscillatory activity as a function of age across a network of prefrontal brain regions irrespective of condition, as well as more limited age- and validity-related effects for alpha-beta responses. Distinct brain-behavior associations between theta oscillations and attention-related symptomology were also uncovered across a network of brain regions. Taken together, these data are the first to demonstrate developmental effects in the spectrally-specific neural oscillations serving the flexible allocation of attention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giorgia Picci
- Institute for Human Neuroscience, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA; Center for Pediatric Brain Health, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA
| | - Lauren R Ott
- Institute for Human Neuroscience, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA
| | - Nathan M Petro
- Institute for Human Neuroscience, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA; Center for Pediatric Brain Health, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA
| | - Chloe C Casagrande
- Institute for Human Neuroscience, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA
| | - Abraham D Killanin
- Institute for Human Neuroscience, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA; Center for Pediatric Brain Health, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA; College of Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA
| | - Danielle L Rice
- Institute for Human Neuroscience, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA; Center for Pediatric Brain Health, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA
| | - Anna T Coutant
- Institute for Human Neuroscience, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA; Center for Pediatric Brain Health, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA
| | - Yasra Arif
- Institute for Human Neuroscience, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA
| | - Christine M Embury
- Institute for Human Neuroscience, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA
| | - Hannah J Okelberry
- Institute for Human Neuroscience, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA
| | - Hallie J Johnson
- Institute for Human Neuroscience, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA
| | - Seth D Springer
- Institute for Human Neuroscience, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA; College of Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA
| | - Haley R Pulliam
- Institute for Human Neuroscience, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA; Center for Pediatric Brain Health, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA
| | - Yu-Ping Wang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - Vince D Calhoun
- Tri-institutional Center for Translational Research in Neuroimaging and Data Science (TReNDS) [Georgia State University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Emory University], Atlanta, GA, USA
| | | | - Elizabeth Heinrichs-Graham
- Institute for Human Neuroscience, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA; Center for Pediatric Brain Health, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA; Department of Pharmacology & Neuroscience, Creighton University, Omaha, NE, USA
| | - Brittany K Taylor
- Institute for Human Neuroscience, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA; Center for Pediatric Brain Health, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA; Department of Pharmacology & Neuroscience, Creighton University, Omaha, NE, USA
| | - Tony W Wilson
- Institute for Human Neuroscience, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA; Center for Pediatric Brain Health, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA; Department of Pharmacology & Neuroscience, Creighton University, Omaha, NE, USA.
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9
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Hanning NM, Fernández A, Carrasco M. Dissociable roles of human frontal eye fields and early visual cortex in presaccadic attention. Nat Commun 2023; 14:5381. [PMID: 37666805 PMCID: PMC10477327 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-40678-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2023] [Accepted: 08/03/2023] [Indexed: 09/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Shortly before saccadic eye movements, visual sensitivity at the saccade target is enhanced, at the expense of sensitivity elsewhere. Some behavioral and neural correlates of this presaccadic shift of attention resemble those of covert attention, deployed during fixation. Microstimulation in non-human primates has shown that presaccadic attention modulates perception via feedback from oculomotor to visual areas. This mechanism also seems plausible in humans, as both oculomotor and visual areas are active during saccade planning. We investigated this hypothesis by applying TMS to frontal or visual areas during saccade preparation. By simultaneously measuring perceptual performance, we show their causal and differential roles in contralateral presaccadic attention effects: Whereas rFEF+ stimulation enhanced sensitivity opposite the saccade target throughout saccade preparation, V1/V2 stimulation reduced sensitivity at the saccade target only shortly before saccade onset. These findings are consistent with presaccadic attention modulating perception through cortico-cortical feedback and further dissociate presaccadic and covert attention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nina M Hanning
- Department of Psychology & Center for Neural Sciences, New York University, New York, NY, USA.
- Institut für Psychologie, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Antonio Fernández
- Department of Psychology & Center for Neural Sciences, New York University, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Marisa Carrasco
- Department of Psychology & Center for Neural Sciences, New York University, New York, NY, USA
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10
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Urale PWB, Zhu L, Gough R, Arnold D, Schwarzkopf DS. Extrastriate activity reflects the absence of local retinal input. Conscious Cogn 2023; 114:103566. [PMID: 37639775 DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2023.103566] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2023] [Revised: 08/01/2023] [Accepted: 08/14/2023] [Indexed: 08/31/2023]
Abstract
The physiological blind spot corresponds to the optic disc where the retina contains no light-detecting photoreceptor cells. Our perception seemingly fills in this gap in input. Here we suggest that rather than an active process, such perceptual filling-in could instead be a consequence of the integration of visual inputs at higher stages of processing discounting the local absence of retinal input. Using functional brain imaging, we resolved the retinotopic representation of the physiological blind spot in early human visual cortex and measured responses while participants perceived filling-in. Responses in early visual areas simply reflected the absence of visual input. In contrast, higher extrastriate regions responded more to stimuli in the eye containing the blind spot than the fellow eye. However, this signature was independent of filling-in. We argue that these findings agree with philosophical accounts that posit that the concept of filling-in of absent retinal input is unnecessary.
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Affiliation(s)
- Poutasi W B Urale
- School of Optometry & Vision Science, University of Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Lydia Zhu
- School of Optometry & Vision Science, University of Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Roberta Gough
- School of Optometry & Vision Science, University of Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Derek Arnold
- School of Psychology, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia; Queensland Brain Institute, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Dietrich Samuel Schwarzkopf
- School of Optometry & Vision Science, University of Auckland, New Zealand; Experimental Psychology, University College London, United Kingdom.
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11
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Tabibian F, Azimzadeh K, Shaygannejad V, Ashtari F, Adibi I, Sanayei M. Patterns of attention deficit in relapsing and progressive phenotypes of multiple sclerosis. Sci Rep 2023; 13:13045. [PMID: 37563449 PMCID: PMC10415341 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-40327-x] [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: 01/08/2023] [Accepted: 08/08/2023] [Indexed: 08/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Behavioral aspects and underlying pathology of attention deficit in multiple sclerosis (MS) remain unknown. This study aimed to clarify impairment of attention and its relationship with MS-related fatigue. Thirty-four relapse-remitting MS (RRMS), 35 secondary-progressive MS (SPMS) and 45 healthy controls (HC) were included. Results of psychophysics tasks (attention network test (ANT) and Posner spatial cueing test) and fatigue assessments (visual analogue scale and modified fatigue impact scale (MFIS)) were compared between groups. In ANT, attentional network effects were not different between MS phenotypes and HC. In Posner task, RRMS or SPMS patients did not benefit from valid cues unlike HC. RRMS and SPMS patients had less gain in exogenous trials with 62.5 ms cue-target interval time (CTIT) and endogenous trials with 250 ms CTIT, respectively. Total MFIS was the predictor of gain in 250 ms endogenous blocks and cognitive MFIS predicted orienting attentional effect. Executive attentional effect in RRMS patients with shorter disease duration and orienting attentional effect in longer diagnosed SPMS were correlated with MFIS scores. The pattern of attention deficit in MS differs between phenotypes. Exogenous attention is impaired in RRMS patients while SPMS patients have deficit in endogenous attention. Fatigue trait predicts impairment of endogenous and orienting attention in MS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Farinaz Tabibian
- Neurosciences Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
- Center for Translational Neuroscience, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Kiarash Azimzadeh
- Neurosciences Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
- Center for Translational Neuroscience, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Vahid Shaygannejad
- Neurosciences Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
- Center for Translational Neuroscience, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
- Department of Neurology, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Fereshteh Ashtari
- Neurosciences Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
- Center for Translational Neuroscience, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
- Department of Neurology, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Iman Adibi
- Neurosciences Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
- Center for Translational Neuroscience, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
- Department of Neurology, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
| | - Mehdi Sanayei
- Center for Translational Neuroscience, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
- School of Cognitive Sciences, Institute for Research in Fundamental Sciences (IPM), Tehran, Iran.
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12
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Yuasa K, Groen IIA, Piantoni G, Montenegro S, Flinker A, Devore S, Devinsky O, Doyle W, Dugan P, Friedman D, Ramsey N, Petridou N, Winawer J. Precise Spatial Tuning of Visually Driven Alpha Oscillations in Human Visual Cortex. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.02.11.528137. [PMID: 36865223 PMCID: PMC9979988 DOI: 10.1101/2023.02.11.528137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/15/2023]
Abstract
Neuronal oscillations at about 10 Hz, called alpha oscillations, are often thought to arise from synchronous activity across occipital cortex, reflecting general cognitive states such as arousal and alertness. However, there is also evidence that modulation of alpha oscillations in visual cortex can be spatially specific. Here, we used intracranial electrodes in human patients to measure alpha oscillations in response to visual stimuli whose location varied systematically across the visual field. We separated the alpha oscillatory power from broadband power changes. The variation in alpha oscillatory power with stimulus position was then fit by a population receptive field (pRF) model. We find that the alpha pRFs have similar center locations to pRFs estimated from broadband power (70-180 Hz), but are several times larger. The results demonstrate that alpha suppression in human visual cortex can be precisely tuned. Finally, we show how the pattern of alpha responses can explain several features of exogenous visual attention. Significance Statement The alpha oscillation is the largest electrical signal generated by the human brain. An important question in systems neuroscience is the degree to which this oscillation reflects system-wide states and behaviors such as arousal, alertness, and attention, versus much more specific functions in the routing and processing of information. We examined alpha oscillations at high spatial precision in human patients with intracranial electrodes implanted over visual cortex. We discovered a surprisingly high spatial specificity of visually driven alpha oscillations, which we quantified with receptive field models. We further use our discoveries about properties of the alpha response to show a link between these oscillations and the spread of visual attention.
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13
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Kay K, Bonnen K, Denison RN, Arcaro MJ, Barack DL. Tasks and their role in visual neuroscience. Neuron 2023; 111:1697-1713. [PMID: 37040765 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2023.03.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2023] [Revised: 03/13/2023] [Accepted: 03/15/2023] [Indexed: 04/13/2023]
Abstract
Vision is widely used as a model system to gain insights into how sensory inputs are processed and interpreted by the brain. Historically, careful quantification and control of visual stimuli have served as the backbone of visual neuroscience. There has been less emphasis, however, on how an observer's task influences the processing of sensory inputs. Motivated by diverse observations of task-dependent activity in the visual system, we propose a framework for thinking about tasks, their role in sensory processing, and how we might formally incorporate tasks into our models of vision.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kendrick Kay
- Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, Department of Radiology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.
| | - Kathryn Bonnen
- School of Optometry, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
| | - Rachel N Denison
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Mike J Arcaro
- Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19146, USA
| | - David L Barack
- Departments of Neuroscience and Philosophy, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19146, USA
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14
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Gong M, Liu T, Liu X, Huangfu B, Geng F. Attention relieves visual crowding: Dissociable effects of peripheral and central cues. J Vis 2023; 23:9. [PMID: 37163245 PMCID: PMC10179668 DOI: 10.1167/jov.23.5.9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Visual crowding can be reduced when attention is directed to the target by peripheral cues. However, it is unclear whether central cues relieve visual crowding to the same extent as peripheral cues. In this study, we combined the Posner cueing task and the crowding task to investigate the effect of exogenous and endogenous attention on crowding. In Experiment 1, five different stimulus-onset asychronies (SOAs) between the cue and the target and a predictive validity of 100% were adopted. Both attentional cues were shown to significantly reduce the effect of visual crowding, but the peripheral cue was more effective than the central cue. Furthermore, peripheral cues started to relieve visual crowding at the shortest SOA (100 ms), whereas central cues worked only at later SOAs (275 ms or above). When the predictive validity of the cue was decreased to 70% in Experiment 2, similar results to Experiment 1 were found, but the valid cue was less effective in reducing crowding than that in Experiment 1. In Experiment 3, when the predictive validity was decreased to 50%, a valid peripheral cue improved performance but a valid central cue did not, suggesting that endogenous attention but not exogenous attention can be voluntarily controlled when the cues are not predictive of the target's location. These findings collectively suggest that both peripheral and central cues can alleviate crowding, but they differ in terms of strength, time dynamics, and flexibility of voluntary control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingliang Gong
- School of Psychology, Jiangxi Normal University, Nanchang, China
| | - Tingyu Liu
- School of Psychology, Jiangxi Normal University, Nanchang, China
| | - Xi Liu
- School of Psychology, Jiangxi Normal University, Nanchang, China
| | - Bingzhe Huangfu
- School of Psychology, Jiangxi Normal University, Nanchang, China
| | - Fulei Geng
- School of Psychology, Jiangxi Normal University, Nanchang, China
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15
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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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16
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Duyar A, Denison RN, Carrasco M. Exogenous temporal attention varies with temporal uncertainty. J Vis 2023; 23:9. [PMID: 36928299 PMCID: PMC10029770 DOI: 10.1167/jov.23.3.9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Temporal attention is the selection and prioritization of information at a specific moment. Exogenous temporal attention is the automatic, stimulus driven deployment of attention. The benefits and costs of exogenous temporal attention on performance have not been isolated. Previous experimental designs have precluded distinguishing the effects of attention and expectation about stimulus timing. Here, we manipulated exogenous temporal attention and the uncertainty of stimulus timing independently and investigated visual performance at the attended and unattended moments with different levels of temporal uncertainty. In each trial, two Gabor patches were presented consecutively with a variable stimulus onset. To drive exogenous attention and test performance at attended and unattended moments, a task-irrelevant, brief cue was presented 100 ms before target onset, and an independent response cue was presented at the end of the trial. Exogenous temporal attention slightly improved accuracy, and the effects varied with temporal uncertainty, suggesting a possible interaction of temporal attention and expectations in time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aysun Duyar
- Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Rachel N Denison
- Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
- Center for Neural Science, 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
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17
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Hanning NM, Fernández A, Carrasco M. Dissociable roles of human frontal eye fields and early visual cortex in presaccadic attention - evidence from TMS. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.02.23.529691. [PMID: 36865228 PMCID: PMC9980111 DOI: 10.1101/2023.02.23.529691] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/03/2023]
Abstract
Shortly before each saccadic eye movement, presaccadic attention improves visual sensitivity at the saccade target 1-5 at the expense of lowered sensitivity at non-target locations 6-11 . Some behavioral and neural correlates of presaccadic attention and covert attention -which likewise enhances sensitivity, but during fixation 12 -are similar 13 . This resemblance has led to the debatable 13-18 notion that presaccadic and covert attention are functionally equivalent and rely on the same neural circuitry 19-21 . At a broad scale, oculomotor brain structures (e.g., FEF) are also modulated during covert attention 22-24 - yet by distinct neuronal subpopulations 25-28 . Perceptual benefits of presaccadic attention rely on feedback from oculomotor structures to visual cortices 29,30 ( Fig. 1a ); micro-stimulation of FEF in non-human primates affects activity in visual cortex 31-34 and enhances visual sensitivity at the movement field of the stimulated neurons 35-37 . Similar feedback projections seem to exist in humans: FEF+ activation precedes occipital activation during saccade preparation 38,39 and FEF TMS modulates activity in visual cortex 40-42 and enhances perceived contrast in the contralateral hemifield 40 . We investigated presaccadic feedback in humans by applying TMS to frontal or visual areas during saccade preparation. By simultaneously measuring perceptual performance, we show the causal and differential roles of these brain regions in contralateral presaccadic benefits at the saccade target and costs at non-targets: Whereas rFEF+ stimulation reduced presaccadic costs throughout saccade preparation, V1/V2 stimulation reduced benefits only shortly before saccade onset. These effects provide causal evidence that presaccadic attention modulates perception through cortico-cortical feedback and further dissociate presaccadic and covert attention.
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18
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Bowen JD, Alforque CV, Silver MA. Effects of involuntary and voluntary attention on critical spacing of visual crowding. J Vis 2023; 23:2. [PMID: 36862108 PMCID: PMC9987171 DOI: 10.1167/jov.23.3.2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Visual spatial attention can be allocated in two distinct ways: one that is voluntarily directed to behaviorally relevant locations in the world, and one that is involuntarily captured by salient external stimuli. Precueing spatial attention has been shown to improve perceptual performance on a number of visual tasks. However, the effects of spatial attention on visual crowding, defined as the reduction in the ability to identify target objects in clutter, are far less clear. In this study, we used an anticueing paradigm to separately measure the effects of involuntary and voluntary spatial attention on a crowding task. Each trial began with a brief peripheral cue that predicted that the crowded target would appear on the opposite side of the screen 80% of the time and on the same side of the screen 20% of the time. Subjects performed an orientation discrimination task on a target Gabor patch that was flanked by other similar Gabor patches with independent random orientations. For trials with a short stimulus onset asynchrony between cue and target, involuntary capture of attention led to faster response times and smaller critical spacing when the target appeared on the cue side. For trials with a long stimulus onset asynchrony, voluntary allocation of attention led to faster reaction times but no significant effect on critical spacing when the target appeared on the opposite side to the cue. We additionally found that the magnitudes of these cueing effects of involuntary and voluntary attention were not strongly correlated across subjects for either reaction time or critical spacing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joel D Bowen
- Vision Science Graduate Group, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.,
| | - Carissa V Alforque
- Herbert Wertheim School of Optometry & Vision Science, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.,
| | - Michael A Silver
- Vision Science Graduate Group, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.,Herbert Wertheim School of Optometry & Vision Science, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.,Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.,
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19
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Spagna A, Bayle DJ, Romeo Z, Seidel-Malkinson T, Liu J, Yahia-Cherif L, Chica AB, Bartolomeo P. The cost of attentional reorienting on conscious visual perception: an MEG study. Cereb Cortex 2023; 33:2048-2060. [PMID: 35609335 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhac192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2022] [Revised: 04/18/2022] [Accepted: 04/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
How do attentional networks influence conscious perception? To answer this question, we used magnetoencephalography in human participants and assessed the effects of spatially nonpredictive or predictive supra-threshold peripheral cues on the conscious perception of near-threshold Gabors. Three main results emerged. (i) As compared with invalid cues, both nonpredictive and predictive valid cues increased conscious detection. Yet, only predictive cues shifted the response criterion toward a more liberal decision (i.e. willingness to report the presence of a target under conditions of greater perceptual uncertainty) and affected target contrast leading to 50% detections. (ii) Conscious perception following valid predictive cues was associated to enhanced activity in frontoparietal networks. These responses were lateralized to the left hemisphere during attentional orienting and to the right hemisphere during target processing. The involvement of frontoparietal networks occurred earlier in valid than in invalid trials, a possible neural marker of the cost of re-orienting attention. (iii) When detected targets were preceded by invalid predictive cues, and thus reorienting to the target was required, neural responses occurred in left hemisphere temporo-occipital regions during attentional orienting, and in right hemisphere anterior insular and temporo-occipital regions during target processing. These results confirm and specify the role of frontoparietal networks in modulating conscious processing and detail how invalid orienting of spatial attention disrupts conscious processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alfredo Spagna
- Department of Psychology, Columbia University in the City of New York, New York, NY 10027, USA.,Sorbonne Université, Inserm U 1127, CNRS UMR 7225, Paris Brain Institute, ICM, Hôpital de la Pitié-Salpêtrière, 75013 Paris, France
| | - Dimitri J Bayle
- Licae Lab, Université Paris Nanterre, 92001 Nanterre, France
| | - Zaira Romeo
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy
| | - Tal Seidel-Malkinson
- Sorbonne Université, Inserm U 1127, CNRS UMR 7225, Paris Brain Institute, ICM, Hôpital de la Pitié-Salpêtrière, 75013 Paris, France
| | - Jianghao Liu
- Sorbonne Université, Inserm U 1127, CNRS UMR 7225, Paris Brain Institute, ICM, Hôpital de la Pitié-Salpêtrière, 75013 Paris, France
| | - Lydia Yahia-Cherif
- Sorbonne Université, Inserm U 1127, CNRS UMR 7225, Paris Brain Institute, ICM, Hôpital de la Pitié-Salpêtrière, 75013 Paris, France
| | - Ana B Chica
- Department of Experimental Psychology; Mind, Brain, and Behavior Research Center (CIMCYC), University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
| | - Paolo Bartolomeo
- Sorbonne Université, Inserm U 1127, CNRS UMR 7225, Paris Brain Institute, ICM, Hôpital de la Pitié-Salpêtrière, 75013 Paris, France
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20
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Dubey A, Markowitz DA, Pesaran B. Top-down control of exogenous attentional selection is mediated by beta coherence in prefrontal cortex. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.01.11.523664. [PMID: 36711697 PMCID: PMC9882082 DOI: 10.1101/2023.01.11.523664] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Salience-driven exogenous and goal-driven endogenous attentional selection are two distinct forms of attention that guide selection of task-irrelevant and task-relevant targets in primates. During conflict i.e, when salience and goal each favor the selection of different targets, endogenous selection of the task-relevant target relies on top-down control. Top-down attentional control mechanisms enable selection of the task-relevant target by limiting the influence of sensory information. Although the lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC) is known to mediate top-down control, the neuronal mechanisms of top-down control of attentional selection are poorly understood. Here, using a two-target free-choice luminance-reward selection task, we demonstrate that visual-movement neurons and not visual neurons or movement neurons encode exogenous and endogenous selection. We then show that coherent-beta activity selectively modulates mechanisms of exogenous selection specifically during conflict and consequently may support top-down control. These results reveal the VM-neuron-specific network mechanisms of attentional selection and suggest a functional role for beta-frequency coherent neural dynamics in the modulation of sensory communication channels for the top-down control of attentional selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agrita Dubey
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York 10003
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia 19104
| | | | - Bijan Pesaran
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York 10003
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia 19104
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia 19104
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia 19104
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21
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Iacobelli P. Circadian dysregulation and Alzheimer’s disease: A comprehensive review. BRAIN SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022. [DOI: 10.26599/bsa.2022.9050021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the foremost variant of dementia, has been associated with a menagerie of risk factors, many of which are considered to be modifiable. Among these modifiable risk factors is circadian rhythm, the chronobiological system that regulates sleep‐wake cycles, food consumption timing, hydration timing, and immune responses amongst many other necessary physiological processes. Circadian rhythm at the level of the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), is tightly regulated in the human body by a host of biomolecular substances, principally the hormones melatonin, cortisol, and serotonin. In addition, photic information projected along afferent pathways to the SCN and peripheral oscillators regulates the synthesis of these hormones and mediates the manner in which they act on the SCN and its substructures. Dysregulation of this cycle, whether induced by environmental changes involving irregular exposure to light, or through endogenous pathology, will have a negative impact on immune system optimization and will heighten the deposition of Aβ and the hyperphosphorylation of the tau protein. Given these correlations, it appears that there is a physiologic association between circadian rhythm dysregulation and AD. This review will explore the physiology of circadian dysregulation in the AD brain, and will propose a basic model for its role in AD‐typical pathology, derived from the literature compiled and referenced throughout.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Iacobelli
- Department of Arts and Sciences, University of South Carolina, Columbia, USA
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22
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Palermo L, Boccia M, Piccardi L, Nori R. Congenital lack and extraordinary ability in object and spatial imagery: An investigation on sub-types of aphantasia and hyperphantasia. Conscious Cogn 2022; 103:103360. [PMID: 35691243 DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2022.103360] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2021] [Revised: 05/26/2022] [Accepted: 05/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Studies that have shown a distinction between object and spatial imagery suggest more than one type of aphantasia and hyperphantasia, yet this has not been systematically investigated in studies on imagery ability extremes. Also, if the involuntary imagery is preserved in aphantasia and how this condition affects other skills is not fully clear. We collected data on spatial and object imagery, retrospective, and prospective memory, face recognition, and sense of direction (SOD), suggesting a distinction between two subtypes of aphantasia/hyperphantasia. Spatial aphantasia is associated with difficulties in visuo-spatial mental imagery and SOD. Instead, in object aphantasia there are difficulties in imaging single items and events - with no mental visualization of objects, out-of-focus, and black-and-white mental images more frequent than expected - in SOD and face recognition. Furthermore, associative involuntary imagery can be spared in aphantasia. The opposite pattern of performance was found in spatial and object hyperphantasia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liana Palermo
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, 'Magna Graecia' University of Catanzaro, Catanzaro, Italy.
| | - Maddalena Boccia
- Department of Psychology, 'Sapienza' University of Rome, Rome, Italy; I.R.C.C.S. Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy
| | - Laura Piccardi
- Department of Psychology, 'Sapienza' University of Rome, Rome, Italy; I.R.C.C.S. Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy
| | - Raffaella Nori
- Department of Psychology, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
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23
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Lin Z, Gong M, Li X. On the relation between crowding and ensemble perception: Examining the role of attention. Psych J 2022; 11:804-813. [PMID: 35557502 DOI: 10.1002/pchj.559] [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: 01/20/2022] [Accepted: 04/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Ensemble perception of a crowd of stimuli is very accurate, even when individual stimuli are invisible due to crowding. The ability of high-precision ensemble perception can be an evolved compensatory mechanism for the limited attentional resolution caused by crowding. Thus the relationship of crowding and ensemble coding is like two sides of the same coin wherein attention may play a critical factor for their coexistence. The present study investigated whether crowding and ensemble coding were similarly modulated by attention, which can promote our understanding of their relation. Experiment 1 showed that diverting attention away from the target harmed the performance in both crowding and ensemble perception tasks regardless of stimulus density, but crowding was more severely harmed. Experiment 2 showed that directing attention toward the target bar enhanced the performance of crowding regardless of stimulus density. Ensemble perception of high-density bars was also enhanced but to a lesser extent, while ensemble perception of low-density bars was harmed. Together, our results indicate that crowding is strongly modulated by attention, whereas ensemble perception is only moderately modulated by attention, which conforms to the adaptive view.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhen Lin
- School of Psychology, Jiangxi Normal University, Nanchang, China
| | - Mingliang Gong
- School of Psychology, Jiangxi Normal University, Nanchang, China
| | - Xiang Li
- School of Psychology, Jiangxi Normal University, Nanchang, China
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24
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Periodic attention operates faster during more complex visual search. Sci Rep 2022; 12:6688. [PMID: 35461325 PMCID: PMC9035177 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-10647-5] [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: 10/01/2021] [Accepted: 03/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Attention has been found to sample visual information periodically, in a wide range of frequencies below 20 Hz. This periodicity may be supported by brain oscillations at corresponding frequencies. We propose that part of the discrepancy in periodic frequencies observed in the literature is due to differences in attentional demands, resulting from heterogeneity in tasks performed. To test this hypothesis, we used visual search and manipulated task complexity, i.e., target discriminability (high, medium, low) and number of distractors (set size), while electro-encephalography was simultaneously recorded. We replicated previous results showing that the phase of pre-stimulus low-frequency oscillations predicts search performance. Crucially, such effects were observed at increasing frequencies within the theta-alpha range (6–18 Hz) for decreasing target discriminability. In medium and low discriminability conditions, correct responses were further associated with higher post-stimulus phase-locking than incorrect ones, in increasing frequency and latency. Finally, the larger the set size, the later the post-stimulus effect peaked. Together, these results suggest that increased complexity (lower discriminability or larger set size) requires more attentional cycles to perform the task, partially explaining discrepancies between reports of attentional sampling. Low-frequency oscillations structure the temporal dynamics of neural activity and aid top-down, attentional control for efficient visual processing.
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25
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Burlingham CS, Ryoo M, Roth ZN, Mirbagheri S, Heeger DJ, Merriam E. Task-related hemodynamic responses in human early visual cortex are modulated by task difficulty and behavioral performance. eLife 2022; 11:73018. [PMID: 35389340 PMCID: PMC9049970 DOI: 10.7554/elife.73018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2021] [Accepted: 04/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Early visual cortex exhibits widespread hemodynamic responses in the absence of visual stimulation, which are entrained to the timing of a task and not predicted by local spiking or local field potential (LFP). Such task-related responses ('TRRs') covary with reward magnitude and physiological signatures of arousal. It is unknown, however, if TRRs change on a trial-to-trial basis according to behavioral performance and task difficulty. If so, this would suggest that TRRs reflect arousal on a trial-to-trial timescale and covary with critical task and behavioral variables. We measured fMRI-BOLD responses in the early visual cortex of human observers performing an orientation discrimination task consisting of separate easy and hard runs of trials. Stimuli were presented in a small portion of one hemifield, but the fMRI response was measured in the ipsilateral hemisphere, far from the stimulus representation and focus of spatial attention. TRRs scaled in amplitude with task difficulty, behavioral accuracy, reaction time, and lapses across trials. These modulations were not explained by the influence of respiration, cardiac activity, or head movement on the fMRI signal. Similar modulations with task difficulty and behavior were observed in pupil size. These results suggest that TRRs reflect arousal and behavior on the timescale of individual trials.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Minyoung Ryoo
- Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, United States
| | - Zvi N Roth
- Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, United States
| | | | - David J Heeger
- Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, United States
| | - Elisha Merriam
- Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, United States
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26
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Exogenous attention generalizes location transfer of perceptual learning in adults with amblyopia. iScience 2022; 25:103839. [PMID: 35243224 PMCID: PMC8857599 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.103839] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2021] [Revised: 09/19/2021] [Accepted: 01/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Visual perceptual learning (VPL) is a behavioral manifestation of brain neuroplasticity. However, its practical effectiveness is limited because improvements are often specific to the trained conditions and require significant time and effort. It is critical to understand the conditions that promote learning and transfer. Covert endogenous (voluntary) and exogenous (involuntary) spatial attention help overcome VPL location specificity in neurotypical adults, but whether they also do so for people with atypical visual development is unknown. This study investigates the role of exogenous attention during VPL in adults with amblyopia, an ideal population given their asymmetrically developed, but highly plastic, visual cortex. Here we show that training on a discrimination task leads to improvements in foveal contrast sensitivity, acuity, and stereoacuity. Notably, exogenous attention helps generalize learning beyond trained spatial locations. Future large-scale studies can verify the extent to which attention enhances the effectiveness of perceptual learning during rehabilitation of visual disorders. Contrast sensitivity (CS)-based VPL in amblyopes improves CS, acuity and stereoacuity Similar improvement in trained amblyopic eye and untrained fellow eye Exogenous spatial attention facilitates location transfer of VPL in amblyopic adults
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27
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Marois A, Charbonneau B, Szolosi AM, Watson JM. The Differential Impact of Mystery in Nature on Attention: An Oculometric Study. Front Psychol 2021; 12:759616. [PMID: 34955980 PMCID: PMC8696187 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.759616] [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: 08/16/2021] [Accepted: 11/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Nature exposure can provide benefits on stress, health and cognitive performance. According to Attention Restoration Theory (ART), the positive impact of nature on cognition is mainly driven by fascination. Fascinating properties of nature such as water or a winding hiking trail may capture involuntary attention, allowing the directed form of attention to rest and to recover. This claim has been supported by studies relying on eye-tracking measures of attention deployment, comparing exposure to urban and nature settings. Yet, recent studies have shown that promoting higher engagement with a nature setting can improve restorative benefits, hence challenging ART's view that voluntary attention is resting. Besides, recent evidence published by Szolosi et al. (2014) suggests that voluntary attention may be involved during exposure to high-mystery nature images which they showed as having greater potential for attention restoration. The current study explored how exposure to nature images of different scenic qualities in mystery (and restoration potential) could impact the engagement of attention. To do so, participants were shown nature images characterized by either low or high mystery properties (with allegedly low or high restoration potential, respectively) and were asked to evaluate their fascination and aesthetic levels. Concurrently, an eye tracker collected measures of pupil size, fixations and spontaneous blinks as indices of attentional engagement. Results showed that high-mystery nature images had higher engagement than low-mystery images as supported by the larger pupil dilations, the higher number of fixations and the reduced number of blinks and durations of fixations. Taken together, these results challenge ART's view that directed attention is merely resting during exposure to restorative nature and offer new hypotheses on potential mechanisms underlying attention restoration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandre Marois
- École de Psychologie, Université Laval, Quebec City, QC, Canada
- Thales Research and Technology Canada, Quebec City, QC, Canada
| | - Brooke Charbonneau
- Department of Psychology, University of Colorado Denver, Denver, CO, United States
- Department of Psychology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, United States
| | - Andrew M. Szolosi
- Department of Recreation, Sport Pedagogy, and Consumer Sciences, Ohio University, Athens, OH, United States
| | - Jason M. Watson
- Department of Psychology, University of Colorado Denver, Denver, CO, United States
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28
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Kulke L, Pasqualette L. Emotional content influences eye-movements under natural but not under instructed conditions. Cogn Emot 2021; 36:332-344. [PMID: 34886742 DOI: 10.1080/02699931.2021.2009446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
ABSTRACTIn everyday life, people can freely decide if and where they would like to move their attention and gaze, often influenced by physical and emotional salience of stimuli. However, many laboratory paradigms explicitly instruct participants when and how to move their eyes, leading to unnatural instructed eye-movements. The current preregistered study compared eye-movements to peripherally appearing faces with happy, angry and neutral expressions under natural and instructed conditions. Participants reliably moved their eyes towards peripheral faces, even when they were not instructed to do so; however, eye-movements were significantly slower under natural than under instructed conditions. Competing central stimuli decelerated eye-movements independently of instructions. Unexpectedly, the emotional salience only affected eye-movements under natural conditions, with faster saccades towards emotional than towards neutral faces. No effects of emotional expression occurred when participants were instructed to move their eyes. The study shows that natural eye-movements significantly differ from instructed eye-movements and emotion-driven attention effects are reduced when participants are artificially instructed to move their eyes, suggesting that research should investigate eye-movements under natural conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Louisa Kulke
- Neurocognitive Developmental Psychology, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen Germany
| | - Laura Pasqualette
- Neurocognitive Developmental Psychology, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen Germany
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29
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Precision control for a flexible body representation. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2021; 134:104401. [PMID: 34736884 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.10.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2021] [Revised: 10/20/2021] [Accepted: 10/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Adaptive body representation requires the continuous integration of multisensory inputs within a flexible 'body model' in the brain. The present review evaluates the idea that this flexibility is augmented by the contextual modulation of sensory processing 'top-down'; which can be described as precision control within predictive coding formulations of Bayesian inference. Specifically, I focus on the proposal that an attenuation of proprioception may facilitate the integration of conflicting visual and proprioceptive bodily cues. Firstly, I review empirical work suggesting that the processing of visual vs proprioceptive body position information can be contextualised 'top-down'; for instance, by adopting specific attentional task sets. Building up on this, I review research showing a similar contextualisation of visual vs proprioceptive information processing in the rubber hand illusion and in visuomotor adaptation. Together, the reviewed literature suggests that proprioception, despite its indisputable importance for body perception and action control, can be attenuated top-down (through precision control) to facilitate the contextual adaptation of the brain's body model to novel visual feedback.
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Kienitz R, Schmid MC, Dugué L. Rhythmic sampling revisited: Experimental paradigms and neural mechanisms. Eur J Neurosci 2021; 55:3010-3024. [PMID: 34643973 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.15489] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2021] [Revised: 07/31/2021] [Accepted: 09/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Sampling of information is thought to be an important aspect of explorative behaviour. Evidence for it has been gained in behavioural assessments of a variety of overt and covert cognitive domains, including sensation, attention, memory, eye movements and dexterity. A common aspect across many findings is that sampling tends to exhibit a rhythmicity at low frequencies (theta, 4-8 Hz; alpha, 9-12 Hz). Neurophysiological investigations in a wide range of species, including rodents, non-human primates and humans have demonstrated the presence of sampling related neural oscillations in a number of brain areas ranging from early sensory cortex, hippocampus to high-level cognitive areas. However, to assess whether rhythmic sampling represents a general aspect of exploratory behaviour one must critically evaluate the task parameters, and their potential link with neural oscillations. Here we focus on sampling during attentive vision to present an overview on the experimental conditions that are used to investigate rhythmic sampling and associated oscillatory brain activity in this domain. This review aims to (1) provide guidelines to efficiently quantify behavioural rhythms, (2) compare results from human and non-human primate studies and (3) argue that the underlying neural mechanisms of sampling can co-occur in both sensory and high-level areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ricardo Kienitz
- Epilepsy Center Frankfurt Rhine-Main, Center of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.,Ernst Strüngmann Institute (ESI) for Neuroscience in Cooperation with Max Planck Society, Frankfurt, Germany.,Biosciences Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle, UK
| | - Michael C Schmid
- Biosciences Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle, UK.,Department of Movement and Neuroscience, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Medicine, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - Laura Dugué
- Université de Paris, INCC UMR 8002, CNRS, Paris, France.,Institut Universitaire de France (IUF), Paris, France
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Purokayastha S, Roberts M, Carrasco M. Voluntary attention improves performance similarly around the visual field. Atten Percept Psychophys 2021; 83:2784-2794. [PMID: 34036535 PMCID: PMC8514247 DOI: 10.3758/s13414-021-02316-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Performance as a function of polar angle at isoeccentric locations across the visual field is known as a performance field (PF) and is characterized by two asymmetries: the HVA (horizontal-vertical anisotropy) and VMA (vertical meridian asymmetry). Exogenous (involuntary) spatial attention does not affect the shape of the PF, improving performance similarly across polar angle. Here we investigated whether endogenous (voluntary) spatial attention, a flexible mechanism, can attenuate these perceptual asymmetries. Twenty participants performed an orientation discrimination task while their endogenous attention was either directed to the target location or distributed across all possible locations. The effects of attention were assessed either using the same stimulus contrast across locations or equating difficulty across locations using individually titrated contrast thresholds. In both experiments, endogenous attention similarly improved performance at all locations, maintaining the canonical PF shape. Thus, despite its voluntary nature, like exogenous attention, endogenous attention cannot alleviate perceptual asymmetries at isoeccentric locations.
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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, 6 Washington Place, Room 970, New York, NY, 10003, USA.
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Edwards G, Berestova A, Battelli L. Behavioral gain following isolation of attention. Sci Rep 2021; 11:19329. [PMID: 34588526 PMCID: PMC8481494 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-98670-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2021] [Accepted: 09/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Stable sensory perception is achieved through balanced excitatory-inhibitory interactions of lateralized sensory processing. In real world experience, sensory processing is rarely equal across lateralized processing regions, resulting in continuous rebalancing. Using lateralized attention as a case study, we predicted rebalancing lateralized processing following prolonged spatial attention imbalance could cause a gain in attention in the opposite direction. In neurotypical human adults, we isolated covert attention to one visual field with a 30-min attention-demanding task and found an increase in attention in the opposite visual field after manipulation. We suggest a gain in lateralized attention in the previously unattended visual field is due to an overshoot through attention rebalancing. The offline post-manipulation effect is suggestive of long-term potentiation affecting behavior. Our finding of visual field specific attention increase could be critical for the development of clinical rehabilitation for patients with a unilateral lesion and lateralized attention deficits. This proof-of-concept study initiates the examination of overshoot following the release of imbalance in other lateralized control and sensory domains, important in our basic understanding of lateralized processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Grace Edwards
- Center for Neuroscience and Cognitive Systems@UniTn, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Rovereto, Italy. .,Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA.
| | - Anna Berestova
- Lesley University, 29 Everett St, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
| | - Lorella Battelli
- Center for Neuroscience and Cognitive Systems@UniTn, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Rovereto, Italy.,Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA.,Berenson-Allen Center for Noninvasive Brain Stimulation and Department of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
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33
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Transcranial magnetic stimulation entrains alpha oscillatory activity in occipital cortex. Sci Rep 2021; 11:18562. [PMID: 34535692 PMCID: PMC8448857 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-96849-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2021] [Accepted: 08/10/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Parieto-occipital alpha rhythms (8-12 Hz) underlie cortical excitability and influence visual performance. Whether the synchrony of intrinsic alpha rhythms in the occipital cortex can be entrained by transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is an open question. We applied 4-pulse, 10-Hz rhythmic TMS to entrain intrinsic alpha oscillators targeting right V1/V2, and tested four predictions with concurrent electroencephalogram (EEG): (1) progressive enhancement of entrainment across time windows, (2) output frequency specificity, (3) dependence on the intrinsic oscillation phase, and (4) input frequency specificity to individual alpha frequency (IAF) in the neural signatures. Two control conditions with an equal number of pulses and duration were arrhythmic-active and rhythmic-sham stimulation. The results confirmed the first three predictions. Rhythmic TMS bursts significantly entrained local neural activity. Near the stimulation site, evoked oscillation amplitude and inter-trial phase coherence (ITPC) were increased for 2 and 3 cycles, respectively, after the last TMS pulse. Critically, ITPC following entrainment positively correlated with IAF rather than with the degree of similarity between IAF and the input frequency (10 Hz). Thus, we entrained alpha-band activity in occipital cortex for ~ 3 cycles (~ 300 ms), and IAF predicts the strength of entrained occipital alpha phase synchrony indexed by ITPC.
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Han Y, Tan Z, Zhuang H, Qian J. Contrasting effects of exogenous and endogenous attention on size perception. BRITISH JOURNAL OF PSYCHOLOGY (LONDON, ENGLAND : 1953) 2021; 113:153-175. [PMID: 34435351 DOI: 10.1111/bjop.12529] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2021] [Accepted: 08/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Although neuroimaging studies have shown that exogenous and endogenous attention are dissociable, only a few behavioural studies have explored their differential effects on visual sensitivity, and none have directly focused on visual appearance. Here, we show that exogenous and endogenous attention produces contrasting effects on apparent size. Participants performed a spatial pre-cueing comparative judgement task that had been frequently used to test the attentional effects on visual perception. The results showed that a smaller stimulus within the focus of exogenous attention was perceived to be equal in size as a larger unattended stimulus, whereas a larger stimulus within the focus of endogenous attention was perceived to be equal in size as a smaller unattended stimulus. In other words, exogenous attention increased the perceived size while endogenous attention decreased the perceived size. The contrasting effects may be attributed to the mechanism that exogenous attention favours parvocellular processing for which more neurons with smaller receptive fields (RFs) are activated for a given size, whereas endogenous attention favours magnocellular processing for which fewer neurons with larger RFs are activated. This finding shows that exogenous and endogenous attention acts differentially on size perception, and provides supportive evidence for the distinct mechanisms underlying the two types of attentional processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yifei Han
- Department of Psychology, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China.,State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Zhihao Tan
- Department of Psychology, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Huang Zhuang
- Department of Psychology, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jiehui Qian
- Department of Psychology, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
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Jigo M, Heeger DJ, Carrasco M. An image-computable model of how endogenous and exogenous attention differentially alter visual perception. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:e2106436118. [PMID: 34389680 PMCID: PMC8379934 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2106436118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Attention alters perception across the visual field. Typically, endogenous (voluntary) and exogenous (involuntary) attention similarly improve performance in many visual tasks, but they have differential effects in some tasks. Extant models of visual attention assume that the effects of these two types of attention are identical and consequently do not explain differences between them. Here, we develop a model of spatial resolution and attention that distinguishes between endogenous and exogenous attention. We focus on texture-based segmentation as a model system because it has revealed a clear dissociation between both attention types. For a texture for which performance peaks at parafoveal locations, endogenous attention improves performance across eccentricity, whereas exogenous attention improves performance where the resolution is low (peripheral locations) but impairs it where the resolution is high (foveal locations) for the scale of the texture. Our model emulates sensory encoding to segment figures from their background and predict behavioral performance. To explain attentional effects, endogenous and exogenous attention require separate operating regimes across visual detail (spatial frequency). Our model reproduces behavioral performance across several experiments and simultaneously resolves three unexplained phenomena: 1) the parafoveal advantage in segmentation, 2) the uniform improvements across eccentricity by endogenous attention, and 3) the peripheral improvements and foveal impairments by exogenous attention. Overall, we unveil a computational dissociation between each attention type and provide a generalizable framework for predicting their effects on perception across the visual field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Jigo
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY 10003;
| | - David J Heeger
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY 10003
- Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, NY 10003
| | - Marisa Carrasco
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY 10003
- Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, NY 10003
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36
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Li HH, Hanning NM, Carrasco M. To look or not to look: dissociating presaccadic and covert spatial attention. Trends Neurosci 2021; 44:669-686. [PMID: 34099240 PMCID: PMC8552810 DOI: 10.1016/j.tins.2021.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2021] [Revised: 04/25/2021] [Accepted: 05/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Attention is a central neural process that enables selective and efficient processing of visual information. Individuals can attend to specific visual information either overtly, by making an eye movement to an object of interest, or covertly, without moving their eyes. We review behavioral, neuropsychological, neurophysiological, and computational evidence of presaccadic attentional modulations that occur while preparing saccadic eye movements, and highlight their differences from those of covert spatial endogenous (voluntary) and exogenous (involuntary) attention. We discuss recent studies and experimental procedures on how these different types of attention impact visual performance, alter appearance, differentially modulate the featural representation of basic visual dimensions (orientation and spatial frequency), engage different neural computations, and recruit partially distinct neural substrates. We conclude that presaccadic attention and covert attention are dissociable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hsin-Hung Li
- Department of Psychology and Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY, USA.
| | - Nina M Hanning
- Department of Psychology and Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Marisa Carrasco
- Department of Psychology and Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY, USA.
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37
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Gotcha: Working memory prioritization from automatic attentional biases. Psychon Bull Rev 2021; 29:415-429. [PMID: 34131892 DOI: 10.3758/s13423-021-01958-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Attention is an important resource for prioritizing information in working memory (WM), and it can be deployed both strategically and automatically. Most research investigating the relationship between WM and attention has focused on strategic efforts to deploy attentional resources toward remembering relevant information. However, such voluntary attentional control represents a mere subset of the attentional processes that select information to be encoded and maintained in WM (Theeuwes, Journal of Cognition, 1[1]: 29, 1-15, 2018). Here, we discuss three ways in which information becomes prioritized automatically in WM-physical salience, statistical learning, and reward learning. This review integrates findings from perception and working memory studies to propose a more sophisticated understanding of the relationship between attention and working memory.
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De Lestrange-Anginieur E, Leung TW, Kee CS. Joint effect of defocus blur and spatial attention. Vision Res 2021; 185:88-97. [PMID: 33964585 DOI: 10.1016/j.visres.2021.04.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2020] [Revised: 04/04/2021] [Accepted: 04/05/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Defocus blur and spatial attention both act on our ability to see clearly over time. However, it is currently unknown how these two factors interact because studies on spatial resolution only focused on the separate effects of attention and defocus blurs. In this study, eleven participants performed a resolution acuity task along the diagonal 135˚/315˚ with horizontal, at 8˚ eccentricity for clear and blurred Landolt C images under various manipulations of covert endogenous attention. All the conditions were interleaved and viewed binocularly on a visual display. We observed that attention not just improves the resolution of clear stimuli, but also modulates the resolution of defocused stimuli for compensating the loss of resolution caused by retinal blur. Our results show, however, that as the degree of attention decreases, the differences between clear and blurred images largely diminish, thus limiting the benefit of an image quality enhancement. It also appeared that attention tends to enhance the resolution of clear targets more than blurred targets, suggesting potential variations in the gain of vision correction with the level of attention. This demonstrates that the interaction between spatial attention and defocus blur can play a role in the way we see things. In view of these findings, the development of adaptive interventions, which adjust the eye's defocus to attention, may hold promise.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - T W Leung
- School of Optometry, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China
| | - C S Kee
- School of Optometry, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China; Interdisciplinary Division of Biomedical Engineering, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong SAR, China
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