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Wang J, Wang J, Hu J, Tong S, Hong X, Sun J. Willed Attentional Selection of Visual Features: An EEG Study. IEEE Trans Neural Syst Rehabil Eng 2024; 32:1586-1595. [PMID: 38557619 DOI: 10.1109/tnsre.2024.3383669] [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: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
Visual selective attention studies generally tend to apply cuing paradigms to instructively direct observers' attention to certain locations, features or objects. However, in real situations, attention in humans often flows spontaneously without any specific instructions. Recently, a concept named "willed attention" was raised in visuospatial attention, in which participants are free to make volitional attention decisions. Several ERP components during willed attention were found, along with a perspective that ongoing alpha activity may bias the subsequent attentional choice. However, it remains unclear whether similar neural mechanisms exist in feature- or object-based willed attention. Here, we included choice cues and instruct cues in a feature-based selective attention paradigm, allowing participants to freely choose or to be instructed to attend a color for the subsequent target detection task. Pre-cue ongoing alpha oscillations, cue-evoked potentials and target-related steady-state visual evoked potentials (SSVEPs) were simultaneously measured as markers of attentional processing. As expected, SSVEP responses were similarly modulated by attention between choice and instruct cue trials. Similar to the case of spatial attention, a willed-attention component (Willed Attention Component, WAC) was isolated during the cue-related choice period by comparing choice and instruct cues. However, pre-cue ongoing alpha oscillations did not predict the color choice (yellow vs blue), as indicated by the chance level decoding accuracy (50%). Overall, our results revealed both similarities and differences between spatial and feature-based willed attention, and thus extended the understanding toward the neural mechanisms of volitional attention.
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Landry M, da Silva Castanheira J, Raz A, Baillet S, Sackur J. A lateralized alpha-band marker of the interference of exogenous attention over endogenous attention. Cereb Cortex 2024; 34:bhad457. [PMID: 38044466 PMCID: PMC10793586 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhad457] [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: 08/28/2023] [Revised: 10/27/2023] [Accepted: 10/27/2023] [Indexed: 12/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Current theories of attention differentiate exogenous from endogenous orienting of visuospatial attention. While both forms of attention orienting engage different functional systems, endogenous and exogenous attention are thought to share resources, as shown by empirical evidence of their functional interactions. The present study aims to uncover the neurobiological basis of how salient events that drive exogenous attention disrupts endogenous attention processes. We hypothesize that interference from exogenous attention over endogenous attention involves alpha-band activity, a neural marker of visuospatial attention. To test this hypothesis, we contrast the effects of endogenous attention across two experimental tasks while we recorded electroencephalography (n = 32, both sexes): a single cueing task where endogenous attention is engaged in isolation, and a double cueing task where endogenous attention is concurrently engaged with exogenous attention. Our results confirm that the concurrent engagement of exogenous attention interferes with endogenous attention processes. We also found that changes in alpha-band activity mediate the relationship between endogenous attention and its effect on task performance, and that the interference of exogenous attention on endogenous attention occurs via the moderation of this indirect effect. Altogether, our results substantiate a model of attention, whereby endogenous and exogenous attentional processes involve the same neurophysiological resources. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Scientists differentiate top-down from bottom-up visuospatial attention processes. While bottom-up attention is rapidly engaged by emerging demands from the environment, top-down attention in contrast reflects slow voluntary shifts of spatial attention. Several lines of research substantiate the idea that top-down and bottom-up attentional processes involve distinct functional systems. An increasing number of studies, however, argue that both attention systems share brain processing resources. The current study examines how salient visual events that engage bottom-up processes interfere with top-down attentional processes. Using neurophysiological recordings and multivariate pattern classification techniques, the authors show that these patterns of interference occur within the alpha-band of neural activity (8-12 Hz), which implies that bottom-up and top-down attention processes share this narrow-band frequency brain resource. The results further demonstrate that patterns of alpha-band activity explains, in part, the interference between top-down and bottom-up attention at the behavioral level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mathieu Landry
- Laboratoire de Sciences Cognitives et Psycholinguistique, ENS, PSL University, EHESS, CNRS, Paris 75005, France
| | | | - Amir Raz
- Institute for Interdisciplinary Behavioral and Brain Sciences, Chapman University, Irvine, CA, 92618, USA
| | - Sylvain Baillet
- Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Qc, H3A 2B4, Canada
| | - Jérôme Sackur
- Laboratoire de Sciences Cognitives et Psycholinguistique, ENS, PSL University, EHESS, CNRS, Paris 75005, France
- École Polytechnique, Palaiseau 91120, France
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Wang J, Sun J, Li C, Tong S, Hong X. The effects of pre-cue alpha and cueing strategy on age-related deficits in post-cue alpha activity and target processing during visual spatial attention. Cereb Cortex 2023; 33:11112-11125. [PMID: 37750338 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhad350] [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: 05/30/2023] [Revised: 09/01/2023] [Accepted: 09/02/2023] [Indexed: 09/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Electroencephalography alpha-band (8-13 Hz) activity during visual spatial attention declines in normal aging. We recently reported the impacts of pre-cue baseline alpha and cueing strategy on post-cue anticipatory alpha activity and target processing in visual spatial attention (Wang et al., Cerebral Cortex, 2023). However, whether these factors affected aging effects remains unaddressed. We investigated this issue in two independent experiments (n = 114) with different cueing strategies (instructional vs. probabilistic). When median-splitting young adults (YA) by their pre-cue alpha power, we found that older adults exhibited similar pre-cue and post-cue alpha activity as YA with lower pre-cue alpha, and only YA with higher pre-cue alpha showed significant post-cue alpha activity, suggesting that diminished anticipatory alpha activity was not specific to aging but likely due to a general decrease with baseline alpha. Moreover, we found that the aging effects on cue-related event-related potentials were dependent on cueing strategy but were relatively independent of pre-cue alpha. However, age-related deficits in target-related N1 attentional modulation might depend on both pre-cue alpha and cueing strategy. By considering the impacts of pre-cue alpha and cueing strategy, our findings offer new insights into age-related deficits in anticipatory alpha activity and target processing during visual spatial attention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiaqi Wang
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Junfeng Sun
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Chunbo Li
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Psychotic Disorders, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200030, China
- CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology (CEBSIT), Chinese Academy of Science, Shanghai 200030, China
- Institute of Psychology and Behavioral Science, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200030, China
| | - Shanbao Tong
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Xiangfei Hong
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Psychotic Disorders, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200030, China
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Wang J, Guo X, Xing Z, Wang G, Wang J, Hu J, Sun J, Li C, Tong S, Hong X. EEG correlates of anticipatory attention and target processing in children and adults during visual spatial attention. Physiol Behav 2023; 271:114341. [PMID: 37660775 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2023.114341] [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: 06/10/2023] [Revised: 07/28/2023] [Accepted: 08/07/2023] [Indexed: 09/05/2023]
Abstract
The ability of attentional orienting has been suggested to keep developing throughout childhood. Electroencephalography (EEG) studies have shown that 6-10 year old children exhibit lateralized alpha-band (8-13 Hz) activity and event-related potentials (ERPs) that are classic markers of spatial attentional orienting in adults. However, the lack of a direct comparison of these EEG correlates between children and adults in the same experiment made it difficult to evaluate developmental effects on neural activity throughout attentional stages. This study aimed to directly compare cue-related alpha activity and ERPs for the anticipatory attention stage and target-related ERPs for the target processing stage between healthy children and adults. Participants, including 19 children (6-10 years) and 23 adults (18-34 years), successfully completed a visual spatial attention task, although children responded more slowly and less consistently than adults. Both age groups exhibited significant cue-related alpha lateralization and ERPs (EDAN, ADAN, and LDAP) during anticipatory attention and significant attentional modulation of target-related N1 during target processing. However, no significant difference was found in the magnitude of attentional modulation of these EEG correlates between children and adults. These findings suggest that the neural underpinnings of anticipatory attention and target processing during visual spatial attention could have been largely developed in 6-10 year old children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiaqi Wang
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Xiaoli Guo
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Ziping Xing
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Guanghai Wang
- Department of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, Pediatric Translational Medicine Institute, Shanghai Children's Medical Center Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Jingyi Wang
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Jingyi Hu
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Junfeng Sun
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Chunbo Li
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Psychotic Disorders, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, 600 Wan Ping Nan Road, Shanghai 200030, China; CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology (CEBSIT), Chinese Academy of Science, Shanghai 200030, China; Institute of Psychology and Behavioral Science, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200030, China
| | - Shanbao Tong
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai 200240, China.
| | - Xiangfei Hong
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Psychotic Disorders, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, 600 Wan Ping Nan Road, Shanghai 200030, China.
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