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Deng X, Chen X, Li Y, Zhang B, Xu W, Wang J, Zang Y, Dong Q, Chen C, Li J. Online and offline effects of parietal 10 Hz repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation on working memory in healthy controls. Hum Brain Mapp 2024; 45:e26636. [PMID: 38488458 PMCID: PMC10941606 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.26636] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2023] [Revised: 10/30/2023] [Accepted: 02/12/2024] [Indexed: 03/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Parietal alpha activity shows a specific pattern of phasic changes during working memory. It decreases during the encoding and recall phases but increases during the maintenance phase. This study tested whether online rTMS delivered to the parietal cortex during the maintenance phase of a working memory task would increase alpha activity and hence improve working memory. Then, 46 healthy volunteers were randomly assigned to two groups to receive 3-day parietal 10 Hz online rTMS (either real or sham, 3600 pulses in total) that were time-locked to the maintenance phase of a spatial span task (180 trials in total). Behavioral performance on another spatial span task and EEG signals during a change detection task were recorded on the day before the first rTMS (pretest) and the day after the last rTMS (posttest). We found that rTMS improved performance on both online and offline spatial span tasks. For the offline change detection task, rTMS enhanced alpha activity within the maintenance phase and improved interference control of working memory at both behavioral (K score) and neural (contralateral delay activity) levels. These results suggested that rTMS with alpha frequency time-locked to the maintenance phase is a promising way to boost working memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinping Deng
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain ResearchBeijing Normal UniversityBeijingP.R. China
| | - Xiongying Chen
- The National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders & Beijing Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders & the Advanced Innovation Center for Human Brain Protection, Beijing Anding Hospital, School of Mental HealthCapital Medical UniversityBeijingChina
| | - Yang Li
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain ResearchBeijing Normal UniversityBeijingP.R. China
| | - Bofan Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain ResearchBeijing Normal UniversityBeijingP.R. China
| | - Wending Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain ResearchBeijing Normal UniversityBeijingP.R. China
| | - Jue Wang
- Institute of Sports Medicine and HealthChengdu Sport UniversityChengduChina
| | - Yu‐Feng Zang
- Institute of Psychological SciencesHangzhou Normal UniversityHangzhouChina
- Center for Cognition and Brain DisordersHangzhou Normal University Affiliated HospitalHangzhouChina
| | - Qi Dong
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain ResearchBeijing Normal UniversityBeijingP.R. China
| | - Chuansheng Chen
- Department of Psychological ScienceUniversity of CaliforniaIrvineCaliforniaUSA
| | - Jun Li
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain ResearchBeijing Normal UniversityBeijingP.R. China
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2
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Tosoni A, Capotosto P, Baldassarre A, Spadone S, Sestieri C. Neuroimaging evidence supporting a dual-network architecture for the control of visuospatial attention in the human brain: a mini review. Front Hum Neurosci 2023; 17:1250096. [PMID: 37841074 PMCID: PMC10571720 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2023.1250096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2023] [Accepted: 09/14/2023] [Indexed: 10/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Neuroimaging studies conducted in the last three decades have distinguished two frontoparietal networks responsible for the control of visuospatial attention. The present review summarizes recent findings on the neurophysiological mechanisms implemented in both networks and describes the evolution from a model centered on the distinction between top-down and bottom-up attention to a model that emphasizes the dynamic interplay between the two networks based on attentional demands. The role of the dorsal attention network (DAN) in attentional orienting, by boosting behavioral performance, has been investigated with multiple experimental approaches. This research effort allowed us to trace a distinction between DAN regions involved in shifting vs. maintenance of attention, gather evidence for the modulatory influence exerted by the DAN over sensory cortices, and identify the electrophysiological correlates of the orienting function. Simultaneously, other studies have contributed to reframing our understanding of the functions of the ventral attention network (VAN) and its relevance for behavior. The VAN is not simply involved in bottom-up attentional capture but interacts with the DAN during reorienting to behaviorally relevant targets, exhibiting a general resetting function. Further studies have confirmed the selective rightward asymmetry of the VAN, proposed a functional dissociation along the anteroposterior axis, and suggested hypotheses about its emergence during the evolution of the primate brain. Finally, novel models of network interactions explain the expression of complex attentional functions and the emergence and restorations of symptoms characterizing unilateral spatial neglect. These latter studies emphasize the importance of considering patterns of network interactions for understanding the consequences of brain lesions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annalisa Tosoni
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences (DNISC) and ITAB, Institute for Advanced Biomedical Technologies, G. d’Annunzio University of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy
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Spadone S, Tosoni A, Penna SD, Sestieri C. Alpha rhythm modulations in the intraparietal sulcus reflect decision signals during item recognition. Neuroimage 2022; 258:119345. [PMID: 35660462 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.119345] [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: 12/27/2021] [Revised: 05/14/2022] [Accepted: 05/30/2022] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Theoretical work and empirical observations suggest a contribution of regions along the intraparietal sulcus to the process of evidence accumulation during episodic memory retrieval. In the present study, we recorded magnetoencephalographic signals in a group of healthy human participants to test whether the pattern of oscillatory modulations in the lateral parietal lobe is consistent with the mnemonic accumulator hypothesis. To this aim, the dynamic properties and the spatial distribution of MEG oscillatory power modulations were investigated during an item recognition task in which the amount of evidence for old vs. new memory decisions was manipulated across three levels. A data-driven approach was employed to identify brain nodes where oscillatory activity was sensitive to both retrieval success and the amount of evidence for old decisions. The analysis identified three nodes in the left lateral parietal lobe where the event-related desynchronization (ERD) in the alpha frequency band showed both effects. Further analyses revealed that the alpha ERD in the intraparietal sulcus, but not in other parietal nodes: i. showed modulation of duration in response to the amount of evidence for both old and new decisions, ii. was behaviorally significant, and iii. more accurately tracked the subjective memory judgment rather than the objective memory status. The present findings provide support for a recent anatomical-functional model of the parietal involvement in episodic memory retrieval and suggest that the alpha ERD in the intraparietal sulcus might represent a neural signature of the evidence accumulation process during simple memory-based decisions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Spadone
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences and ITAB, Institute for Advanced Biomedical Technologies, G. d'Annunzio University of Chieti-Pescara, 66100, Italy
| | - Annalisa Tosoni
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences and ITAB, Institute for Advanced Biomedical Technologies, G. d'Annunzio University of Chieti-Pescara, 66100, Italy
| | - Stefania Della Penna
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences and ITAB, Institute for Advanced Biomedical Technologies, G. d'Annunzio University of Chieti-Pescara, 66100, Italy
| | - Carlo Sestieri
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences and ITAB, Institute for Advanced Biomedical Technologies, G. d'Annunzio University of Chieti-Pescara, 66100, Italy.
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Spadone S, Betti V, Sestieri C, Pizzella V, Corbetta M, Della Penna S. Spectral signature of attentional reorienting in the human brain. Neuroimage 2021; 244:118616. [PMID: 34582947 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118616] [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] [Received: 03/23/2021] [Revised: 07/20/2021] [Accepted: 09/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
As we move in the environment, attention shifts to novel objects of interest based on either their sensory salience or behavioral value (reorienting). This study measures with magnetoencephalography (MEG) different properties (amplitude, onset-to-peak duration) of event-related desynchronization/synchronization (ERD/ERS) of oscillatory activity during a visuospatial attention task designed to separate activity related to reorienting vs. maintaining attention to the same location, controlling for target detection and response processes. The oscillatory activity was measured both in fMRI-defined regions of interest (ROIs) of the dorsal attention (DAN) and visual (VIS) networks, previously defined as task-relevant in the same subjects, or whole-brain in a pre-defined set of cortical ROIs encompassing the main brain networks. Reorienting attention (shift cues) as compared to maintaining attention (stay cues) produced a temporal sequence of ERD/ERS modulations at multiple frequencies in specific anatomical regions/networks. An early (∼330 ms), stronger, transient theta ERS occurred in task-relevant (DAN, VIS) and control networks (VAN, CON, FPN), possibly reflecting an alert/reset signal in response to the cue. A more sustained, behaviorally relevant, low-beta band ERD peaking ∼450 ms following shift cues (∼410 for stay cues) localized in frontal and parietal regions of the DAN. This modulation is consistent with a control signal re-routing information across visual hemifields. Contralateral vs. ipsilateral shift cues produced in occipital visual regions a stronger, sustained alpha ERD (peak ∼470 ms) and a longer, transient high beta/gamma ERS (peak ∼490 ms) related to preparatory visual modulations in advance of target occurrence. This is the first description of a cascade of oscillatory processes during attentional reorienting in specific anatomical regions and networks. Among these processes, a behaviorally relevant beta desynchronization in the FEF is likely associated with the control of attention shifts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Spadone
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences - and ITAB, Institute for Advanced Biomedical Technologies, G. d'Annunzio University of Chieti-Pescara, Italy.
| | - Viviana Betti
- Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy; IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy
| | - Carlo Sestieri
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences - and ITAB, Institute for Advanced Biomedical Technologies, G. d'Annunzio University of Chieti-Pescara, Italy
| | - Vittorio Pizzella
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences - and ITAB, Institute for Advanced Biomedical Technologies, G. d'Annunzio University of Chieti-Pescara, Italy
| | - Maurizio Corbetta
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Padua, Italy; Padova Neuroscience Center, University of Padua, Italy; Departments of Neurology, Radiology, Neuroscience, Washington University St. Louis, USA
| | - Stefania Della Penna
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences - and ITAB, Institute for Advanced Biomedical Technologies, G. d'Annunzio University of Chieti-Pescara, Italy
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Spadone S, Wyczesany M, Della Penna S, Corbetta M, Capotosto P. Directed Flow of Beta Band Communication During Reorienting of Attention Within the Dorsal Attention Network. Brain Connect 2021; 11:717-724. [PMID: 33926233 DOI: 10.1089/brain.2020.0885] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: The endogenous allocation of spatial attention to selected environmental stimuli is controlled by prefrontal (frontal eye fields [FEFs]) and parietal (superior parietal lobe [SPL] and intraparietal sulcus [IPS]) regions belonging to the dorsal attention network (DAN) with a subdivision in subsystems devoted to reorienting (or shifting) of attention between locations (SPL) or maintaining attention at contralateral versus ipsilateral locations (ventral IPS [vIPS]). Although previous studies suggested a leading role of prefrontal regions over parietal sites in orienting attention, the spectral signature of communication flow within the DAN for different attention processes is still debated. Methods: We used the directed transfer function (DTF) on magnetoencephalography (MEG) data to examine the causal interaction between prefrontal and parietal regions of the DAN when subjects shifted versus maintained attention to a stream of cued visual stimuli. Results: In the beta band, we found that shift versus stay cues induced stronger connectivity (DTF values) from right FEF to right SPL, in the early phase of reorienting. Conversely, when considering stay versus shift cues, an increase of DTF values and stronger directionality was observed between bilateral vIPS and from right vIPS to FEF. Similar analyses carried out in theta, alpha, and gamma showed no significant frontoparietal increases of DTF for shift versus stay cues, whereas the stay-related increase of DTF observed in beta between ventral parietal areas was preserved in the alpha band. Conclusions: These findings suggest that control processes in DAN regions (in particular between FEF and SPL) can be associated to a beta frequency channel during shift of attention. Impact statement In the present study, we compared the reorienting response to novel stimuli with respect to maintaining response. Results provided new insights into understanding the neural mechanisms of control attention processes by identifying the frequency-specific causal interactions between frontal and parietal regions belonging to the dorsal attention network supporting spatial reorienting response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Spadone
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, Institute for Advanced Biomedical Technologies (ITAB), G.D'Annunzio University, Chieti, Italy
| | | | - Stefania Della Penna
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, Institute for Advanced Biomedical Technologies (ITAB), G.D'Annunzio University, Chieti, Italy
| | - Maurizio Corbetta
- Department of Neuroscience and Padova Neuroscience Center, University of Padova, Padova, Italy.,Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA.,Department of Radiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA.,Department of Neuroscience, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Paolo Capotosto
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, Institute for Advanced Biomedical Technologies (ITAB), G.D'Annunzio University, Chieti, Italy
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Croce P, Spadone S, Zappasodi F, Baldassarre A, Capotosto P. rTMS affects EEG microstates dynamic during evoked activity. Cortex 2021; 138:302-310. [PMID: 33774580 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2021.02.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2020] [Revised: 12/24/2020] [Accepted: 02/12/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Electrophysiological (EEG) correlates both at time (i.e., event-related potentials, ERP) and frequency (i.e., event-related desynchronization, ERD) domains have been shown to be modulated by external magnetic interference. Parallel studies reported a similar interference also for the EEG microstate at rest and in the period that anticipates a task. Here we investigated whether such interference was prolonged during the evoked activity in the framework of the semantic decision task. To this aim, rTMS was delivered over a core region of both the Default mode network and the language network (i.e., left angular gyrus, AG), previously associated to the current task, and as active control we stimulated the left IPS. When subjects received a non-active stimulation (i.e., Sham), in the period that follows the target onset (i.e., 2 sec after the rTMS) we found an interesting alternation of two dominant microstates (MS1, MS3), previously associated to the phonological network and the Cingulo-Opercular Network (CON), respectively. This dynamic was not altered when TMS was delivered over the left IPS. On the contrary, rTMS over left AG selectively suppressed the phonological-related microstate. These findings provide the first causal evidence of region specificity of the EEG microstates topography during the evoked activity corroborating the idea of a crucial role of AG in the semantic memory. Moreover, the present results might provide insight for understanding the neurophysiological correlates of language disorders e.g., aphasia as well as for planning non-invasive brain stimulation protocols for the rehabilitation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pierpaolo Croce
- Department of Neuroscience Imaging and Clinical Science, ITAB, Institute for Advanced Biomedical Technologies, University "G. D'Annunzio", Chieti, Italy
| | - Sara Spadone
- Department of Neuroscience Imaging and Clinical Science, ITAB, Institute for Advanced Biomedical Technologies, University "G. D'Annunzio", Chieti, Italy
| | - Filippo Zappasodi
- Department of Neuroscience Imaging and Clinical Science, ITAB, Institute for Advanced Biomedical Technologies, University "G. D'Annunzio", Chieti, Italy
| | - Antonello Baldassarre
- Department of Neuroscience Imaging and Clinical Science, ITAB, Institute for Advanced Biomedical Technologies, University "G. D'Annunzio", Chieti, Italy
| | - Paolo Capotosto
- Department of Neuroscience Imaging and Clinical Science, ITAB, Institute for Advanced Biomedical Technologies, University "G. D'Annunzio", Chieti, Italy.
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7
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Favaretto C, Spadone S, Sestieri C, Betti V, Cenedese A, Della Penna S, Corbetta M. Multi-band MEG signatures of BOLD connectivity reorganization during visuospatial attention. Neuroimage 2021; 230:117781. [PMID: 33497772 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.117781] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2020] [Revised: 01/12/2021] [Accepted: 01/15/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The functional architecture of the resting brain, as measured with the blood oxygenation level-dependent functional connectivity (BOLD-FC), is slightly modified during task performance. In previous work, we reported behaviorally relevant BOLD-FC modulations between visual and dorsal attention regions when subjects performed a visuospatial attention task as compared to central fixation (Spadone et al., 2015). Here we use magnetoencephalography (MEG) in the same group of subjects to identify the electrophysiological correlates of the BOLD-FC modulation found in our previous work. While BOLD-FC topography, separately at rest and during visual attention, corresponded to neuromagnetic Band-Limited Power (BLP) correlation in the alpha and beta bands (8-30 Hz), BOLD-FC modulations evoked by performing the visual attention task (Spadone et al. 2015) did not match any specific oscillatory band BLP modulation. Conversely, following the application of an orthogonal spatial decomposition that identifies common inter-subject co-variations, we found that attention-rest BOLD-FC modulations were recapitulated by multi-spectral BLP-FC components. Notably, individual variability of alpha connectivity between Frontal Eye Fields and visual occipital regions, jointly with decreased interaction in the Visual network, correlated with visual discrimination accuracy. In summary, task-rest BOLD connectivity modulations match multi-spectral MEG BLP connectivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Favaretto
- Department of Neuroscience and Padova Neuroscience Center, University of Padova, 35128 Padova, Italy; Padova Neuroscience Center, PNC, 35131 Padova, Italy.
| | - Sara Spadone
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences - and ITAB, Institute for Advanced Biomedical Technologies, G. d'Annunzio University of Chieti-Pescara, 66100 Chieti, Italy
| | - Carlo Sestieri
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences - and ITAB, Institute for Advanced Biomedical Technologies, G. d'Annunzio University of Chieti-Pescara, 66100 Chieti, Italy
| | - Viviana Betti
- Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy; IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, 00179 Rome, Italy
| | - Angelo Cenedese
- Department of Information Engineering, University of Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy
| | - Stefania Della Penna
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences - and ITAB, Institute for Advanced Biomedical Technologies, G. d'Annunzio University of Chieti-Pescara, 66100 Chieti, Italy
| | - Maurizio Corbetta
- Department of Neuroscience and Padova Neuroscience Center, University of Padova, 35128 Padova, Italy; Department of Neurology, Radiology, Neuroscience, and Biomedical Engineering Washington University Saint Louis, MO 63110, USA; Venetian Institute of Molecular Medicine, VIMM, 35128 Padova, Italy; Padova Neuroscience Center, PNC, 35131 Padova, Italy.
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Altomare EC, Committeri G, Di Matteo R, Capotosto P, Tosoni A. Automatic coding of environmental distance for walking-related locomotion in the foot-related sensory-motor system: A TMS study on macro-affordances. Neuropsychologia 2020; 150:107696. [PMID: 33253691 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2020.107696] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2020] [Revised: 11/17/2020] [Accepted: 11/25/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
We have recently described a facilitation effect for the execution of a walking-related action in response to distant objects/locations in the extrapersonal space. Based on the parallelism with the well-known effect of "micro-affordance", observed during the execution of functionally appropriate hand-related actions towards manipulable objects, we have referred to this effect in terms of "macro-affordance". Here we used transcranical magnetic stimulation (TMS) to investigate whether a foot-related region located in the human dorsal precuneate cortex plays a causal role in the generation and maintenance of such behavioral effect. This question was addressed by comparing the magnitude of the facilitation effect during an incidental go/no-go task, i.e. advantage for walking-related actions to pictures framing an environment from a far vs. near distance, during three different TMS conditions. The three TMS conditions were collected in all subjects in a randomized order and included stimulation of: i. a foot-related region in the anterior precuneus, ii. a control region in the middle intraparietal sulcus (mIPS), and iii. a sham condition. Enrollment in the TMS protocol was based on analysis of individual performance during a preliminary session conducted using a sham stimulation. TMS was administered at a low frequency range before the beginning of each condition. The results showed that stimulation of the foot-related region in the anterior precuneus produced a significant reduction of the walking-related facilitation effect as compared to both stimulation of the active-control region and the non-active sham stimulation. These findings suggest that the foot-related sensory-motor system directly participates in the process of extraction of the spatial features (i.e. distance) from an environmental scene that are useful for locomotion. More in general, these findings support an automatic coding of environmental affordance or "macro-affordances" in the walking-related sensory-motor system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emanuele Cosimo Altomare
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, Institute for Advanced Biomedical Technologies (ITAB), University G. D'Annunzio, Chieti-Pescara, Italy
| | - Giorgia Committeri
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, Institute for Advanced Biomedical Technologies (ITAB), University G. D'Annunzio, Chieti-Pescara, Italy
| | - Rosalia Di Matteo
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, Institute for Advanced Biomedical Technologies (ITAB), University G. D'Annunzio, Chieti-Pescara, Italy
| | - Paolo Capotosto
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, Institute for Advanced Biomedical Technologies (ITAB), University G. D'Annunzio, Chieti-Pescara, Italy
| | - Annalisa Tosoni
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, Institute for Advanced Biomedical Technologies (ITAB), University G. D'Annunzio, Chieti-Pescara, Italy.
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Spadone S, Croce P, Zappasodi F, Capotosto P. Pre-stimulus EEG Microstates Correlate With Anticipatory Alpha Desynchronization. Front Hum Neurosci 2020; 14:182. [PMID: 32536858 PMCID: PMC7267023 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2020.00182] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2020] [Accepted: 04/24/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
In the last decades, several electrophysiological markers have been investigated to better understand how humans precede a signaled event. Among others, the pre-stimulus microstates’ topography, representing the whole brain activity, has been proposed as a promising index of the anticipatory period in several cognitive tasks. However, to date, a clear relationship between the metrics of the pre-stimulus microstates [i.e., the global explained variance (GEV) and the frequency of occurrence (FOO)] and well-known electroencephalography marker of the anticipation (i.e., the alpha power reduction) has not been investigated. Here, after extracting the microstates during the expectancy of the semantic memory task, we investigate the correlations between the microstate features and the anticipatory alpha (8–12 Hz) power reduction (i.e., the event-related de-synchronization of the alpha rhythms; ERD) that is widely interpreted as a functional correlate of brain activation. We report a positive correlation between the occurrence of the dominant, but not non-dominant, microstate and both the mean amplitude of high-alpha ERD and the magnitude of the alpha ERD peak so that the stronger the decrease (percentage) in the alpha power, the higher the FOO of the dominant microstate. Moreover, we find a positive correlation between the occurrence of the dominant microstate and the latency of the alpha ERD peak, suggesting that subjects with higher FOO present the stronger alpha ERD closely to the target. These correlations are not significant between the GEV and all anticipatory alpha ERD indices. Our results suggest that only the occurrence of the dominant, but not non-dominant, microstate should be considered as a useful electrophysiological correlate of the cortical activation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Spadone
- Department of Neuroscience Imaging and Clinical Sciences, University "G. d'Annunzio", Chieti, Italy.,Institute for Advanced Biomedical Technologies University "G. d'Annunzio", Chieti, Italy
| | - Pierpaolo Croce
- Department of Neuroscience Imaging and Clinical Sciences, University "G. d'Annunzio", Chieti, Italy.,Institute for Advanced Biomedical Technologies University "G. d'Annunzio", Chieti, Italy
| | - Filippo Zappasodi
- Department of Neuroscience Imaging and Clinical Sciences, University "G. d'Annunzio", Chieti, Italy.,Institute for Advanced Biomedical Technologies University "G. d'Annunzio", Chieti, Italy
| | - Paolo Capotosto
- Department of Neuroscience Imaging and Clinical Sciences, University "G. d'Annunzio", Chieti, Italy.,Institute for Advanced Biomedical Technologies University "G. d'Annunzio", Chieti, Italy
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10
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Abstract
Spatial attention is comprised of neural mechanisms that boost sensory processing at a behaviorally relevant location while filtering out competing information. The present review examines functional specialization in the network of brain regions that directs such preferential processing. This attention network includes both cortical (e.g., frontal and parietal cortices) and subcortical (e.g., the superior colliculus and the pulvinar nucleus of the thalamus) structures. Here, we piece together existing evidence that these various nodes of the attention network have dissociable functional roles by synthesizing results from electrophysiology and neuroimaging studies. We describe functional specialization across several dimensions (e.g., at different processing stages and within different behavioral contexts), while focusing on spatial attention as a dynamic process that unfolds over time. Functional contributions from each node of the attention network can change on a moment-to-moment timescale, providing the necessary cognitive flexibility for sampling from highly dynamic environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian C Fiebelkorn
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08544, USA;
| | - Sabine Kastner
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08544, USA;
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11
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Capotosto P, Committeri G, Baldassarre A. Causal topography of visual cortex in perceptual learning. Neuroimage 2020; 204:116257. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2019.116257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2019] [Revised: 09/26/2019] [Accepted: 10/07/2019] [Indexed: 10/25/2022] Open
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12
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Theta-burst stimulation causally affects side perception in the Deutsch's octave illusion. Sci Rep 2018; 8:12844. [PMID: 30150659 PMCID: PMC6110737 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-31248-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2018] [Accepted: 08/07/2018] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Deutsch’s octave illusion is produced by a sequence of two specular dichotic stimuli presented in alternation to the left and right ear causing an illusory segregation of pitch (frequency) and side (ear of origin). Previous studies have indicated that illusory perception of pitch takes place in temporo-frontal areas, whereas illusory perception of side is primarily associated to neural activity in parietal cortex and in particular in the inferior parietal lobule (IPL). Here we investigated the causal role of left IPL in the perception of side (ear of origin) during the octave illusion by following its inhibition through continuous theta-burst stimulation (cTBS), as compared to the left posterior intraparietal sulcus (pIPS), whose activity is thought to be unrelated to side perception during the illusion. We observed a prolonged modification in the side of the illusory perceived tone during the first 10 minutes following the stimulation. Specifically, while after cTBS over the left IPS subjects reported to perceive the last tone more often at the right compared to the left ear, cTBS over left IPL significantly reverted this distribution, as the number of last perceived tones at the right ear was smaller than at the left ear. Such alteration was not maintained in the successive 10 minutes. These results provide the first evidence of the causal involvement of the left IPL in the perception of side during the octave illusion.
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Croce P, Zappasodi F, Spadone S, Capotosto P. Magnetic stimulation selectively affects pre-stimulus EEG microstates. Neuroimage 2018; 176:239-245. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2018.04.061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2018] [Revised: 04/24/2018] [Accepted: 04/26/2018] [Indexed: 10/17/2022] Open
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14
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Capotosto P, Baldassarre A, Sestieri C, Spadone S, Romani GL, Corbetta M. Task and Regions Specific Top-Down Modulation of Alpha Rhythms in Parietal Cortex. Cereb Cortex 2018; 27:4815-4822. [PMID: 27600845 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhw278] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2016] [Accepted: 08/11/2016] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Alpha (8-12 Hz) power desynchronization is strongly associated to visual perception but has been observed in a large variety of tasks, indicating a general role in task anticipation. We previously reported in human observers that interference by repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) of core regions of the dorsal attention network (DAN) disrupts both anticipatory alpha desynchronization and performance during a visuospatial attention (VSA) task. Here, we test the hypothesis that alpha desynchronization is task specific, and can be selectively modulated by interfering with activity in different higher-order parietal regions. We contrast the effects of rTMS on alpha rhythms and behavior on 2 different tasks: a VSA and a semantic decision task, by targeting the posterior intraparietal sulcus (pIPS), a core region of the DAN, or the angular gyrus (AG), a core region of the default mode network (DMN). We found that both performance and anticipatory alpha desynchronization were affected by stimulation of IPS only during VSA, and of AG only during semantic decisions. These findings indicate the existence of multiple dedicated parietal channels for the modulation of anticipatory alpha rhythms, which in turn reflect task-specific modulation of excitability in human parieto-occipital cortex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paolo Capotosto
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging, and Clinical Science, Institute of Advanced Biomedical Technologies (ITAB), University "G. D'Annunzio", Via dei Vestini 33, Chieti 66100, Italy
| | - Antonello Baldassarre
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging, and Clinical Science, Institute of Advanced Biomedical Technologies (ITAB), University "G. D'Annunzio", Via dei Vestini 33, Chieti 66100, Italy
| | - Carlo Sestieri
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging, and Clinical Science, Institute of Advanced Biomedical Technologies (ITAB), University "G. D'Annunzio", Via dei Vestini 33, Chieti 66100, Italy
| | - Sara Spadone
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging, and Clinical Science, Institute of Advanced Biomedical Technologies (ITAB), University "G. D'Annunzio", Via dei Vestini 33, Chieti 66100, Italy
| | - Gian Luca Romani
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging, and Clinical Science, Institute of Advanced Biomedical Technologies (ITAB), University "G. D'Annunzio", Via dei Vestini 33, Chieti 66100, Italy
| | - Maurizio Corbetta
- Department of Neurology, Radiology, Anatomy and Neurobiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA
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15
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Croce P, Zappasodi F, Capotosto P. Offline stimulation of human parietal cortex differently affects resting EEG microstates. Sci Rep 2018; 8:1287. [PMID: 29352255 PMCID: PMC5775423 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-19698-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2017] [Accepted: 01/02/2018] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
The interference effects of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) on several electroencephalographic (EEG) measures in both temporal and frequency domains have been reported. We tested the hypothesis whether the offline external inhibitory interference, although focal, could result in a global reorganization of the functional brain state, as assessed by EEG microstates. In 16 healthy subjects, we inhibited five parietal areas and used a pseudo stimulation (Sham) at rest. The EEG microstates were extracted before and after each stimulation. The canonical A, B, C and D templates were found before and after all stimulation conditions. The Sham, as well as the stimulation of a ventral site did not modify any resting EEG microstates’ topography. On the contrary, interfering with parietal key-nodes of both dorsal attention (DAN) and default mode networks (DMN), we observed that the microstate C clearly changes, whereas the other three topographies are not affected. These results provide the first causal evidence of a microstates modification following magnetic interference. Since the microstate C has been associated to the activity in regions belonging to the cingulo-opercular network (CON), the regional specificity of such inhibition seems to support the theory of a link between CON and both DAN and DMN at rest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pierpaolo Croce
- Department of Neuroscience Imaging and Clinical Science, "G. d'Annunzio" University, Chieti, Italy.,Institute for Advanced Biomedical Technologies, "G. d'Annunzio" University, Chieti, Italy
| | - Filippo Zappasodi
- Department of Neuroscience Imaging and Clinical Science, "G. d'Annunzio" University, Chieti, Italy. .,Institute for Advanced Biomedical Technologies, "G. d'Annunzio" University, Chieti, Italy.
| | - Paolo Capotosto
- Department of Neuroscience Imaging and Clinical Science, "G. d'Annunzio" University, Chieti, Italy.,Institute for Advanced Biomedical Technologies, "G. d'Annunzio" University, Chieti, Italy
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16
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Lobier M, Palva JM, Palva S. High-alpha band synchronization across frontal, parietal and visual cortex mediates behavioral and neuronal effects of visuospatial attention. Neuroimage 2018; 165:222-237. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2017.10.044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2017] [Revised: 10/18/2017] [Accepted: 10/20/2017] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
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17
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Temporal dynamics of TMS interference over preparatory alpha activity during semantic decisions. Sci Rep 2017; 7:2372. [PMID: 28539601 PMCID: PMC5443784 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-02616-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2017] [Accepted: 04/12/2017] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The mean amplitude of the EEG alpha (8–12 Hz) power de-synchronization (ERD) is a robust electrophysiological correlate of task anticipation. Furthermore, in paradigms using a fixed period between warning and target stimuli, such alpha de-synchronization tends to increase and to peak just before target presentation. Previous studies from our group showed that the anticipatory alpha ERD can be modulated when magnetic stimulation is delivered over specific cortical regions during a variety of cognitive tasks. In this study we investigate the temporal dynamics of the anticipatory alpha ERD and test whether the magnetic stimulation produces either a general attenuation or an interruption of the typical development of alpha ERD. We report that, during a semantic decision task, rTMS over left AG, a region previously associated to semantic memory retrieval, shortened the peak latency and decreased the peak amplitude of the anticipatory alpha de-synchronization as compared to both active (left IPS) and non-active (Sham) TMS conditions. These results, while supporting the causal role of the left AG in the anticipation of a semantic decision task, suggest that magnetic interference not simply reduces the mean amplitude of anticipatory alpha ERD but also interrupts its typical temporal evolution in paradigms employing fixed cue-target intervals.
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van Driel J, Gunseli E, Meeter M, Olivers CNL. Local and interregional alpha EEG dynamics dissociate between memory for search and memory for recognition. Neuroimage 2017; 149:114-128. [PMID: 28132933 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2017.01.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2016] [Revised: 12/12/2016] [Accepted: 01/13/2017] [Indexed: 10/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Attention during visual search is thought to be guided by an active visual working memory (VWM) representation of the search target. We tested the hypothesis that a VWM representation used for searching a target among competing information (a "search template") is distinct from VWM representations used for simple recognition tasks, without competition. We analyzed EEG from 20 human participants while they performed three different VWM-based visual detection tasks. All tasks started with identical lateralized VWM cues, but differed with respect to the presence and nature of competing distractors during the target display at test, where participants performed a simple recognition task without distractors, or visual search in pop-out (distinct) and serial (non-distinct) search displays. Performance was worst for non-distinct search, and best for simple recognition. During the one second delay period between cue and test, we observed robust suppression of EEG dynamics in the alpha (8-14Hz) band over parieto-occipital sites contralateral to the relevant VWM item, both in terms of local power as well as interregional phase synchrony within a posterior-parietal network. Importantly, these lateralization dynamics were more strongly expressed prior to search compared to simple recognition. Furthermore, before the VWM cue, alpha phase synchrony between prefrontal and mid-posterior-parietal sites was strongest for non-distinct search, reflecting enhanced anticipatory control prior to VWM encoding. Directional connectivity analyses confirmed this effect to be in an anterior-to-posterior direction. Together, these results provide evidence for frontally mediated top-down control of VWM in preparation of visual search.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Eren Gunseli
- Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Martijn Meeter
- Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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Baldassarre A, Capotosto P, Committeri G, Corbetta M. Magnetic stimulation of visual cortex impairs perceptual learning. Neuroimage 2016; 143:250-255. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2016.08.063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2016] [Revised: 08/29/2016] [Accepted: 08/30/2016] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
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20
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Xu GQ, Lan Y, Zhang Q, Liu DX, He XF, Lin T. 1-Hz Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation over the Posterior Parietal Cortex Modulates Spatial Attention. Front Hum Neurosci 2016; 10:38. [PMID: 26869911 PMCID: PMC4740368 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2016.00038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2015] [Accepted: 01/22/2016] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Lesion and neuroimaging studies have suggested that regions in the posterior parietal cortex (PPC) are involved in visual spatial attention. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential effects on spatial attention resulting from a transient parietal impairment induced by 1-Hz repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS). We examined 50 healthy subjects using the attention network test (ANT) after first applying rTMS to right or left PPC. The right parietal rTMS, but not left PPC rTMS, caused a significant slowing in the mean reaction time (RT) to target presentation following a spatial cue during the ANT test. There were no significant effects of rTMS on mean RT under the no-cue, center-cue, and double-cue conditions, or for each flanker type among the experimental groups. Moreover, after rTMS to the right PPC, test subjects displayed deficits in networks related to alerting and orienting, whereas they exhibited improvement following rTMS to the left PPC. These findings indicate that the right PPC serves an important function in spatial orienting and the alerting activities. We interpreted the enhancement in alerting and spatial orienting function following low-frequency rTMS of left PPC as reflecting a disinhibition of right PPC via an inter-hemispheric inhibition account.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guang-Qing Xu
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University , Guangzhou , China
| | - Yue Lan
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Guangzhou First People's Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University , Guangzhou , China
| | - Qun Zhang
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University , Guangzhou , China
| | - Dong-Xu Liu
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University , Guangzhou , China
| | - Xiao-Fei He
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China; Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Tuo Lin
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Guangzhou First People's Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University , Guangzhou , China
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The whole is faster than its parts: evidence for temporally independent attention to distinct spatial locations. Atten Percept Psychophys 2015; 78:452-63. [PMID: 26603040 PMCID: PMC4744265 DOI: 10.3758/s13414-015-1023-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Behavioral and electrophysiological evidence suggests that visual attention operates in parallel at distinct spatial locations and samples the environment in periodic episodes. This combination of spatial and temporal characteristics raises the question of whether attention samples locations in a phase-locked or temporally independent manner. If attentional sampling rates were phase locked, attention would be limited by a global sampling rate. However, if attentional sampling rates were temporally independent, they could operate additively to sample higher rates of information. We tested these predictions by requiring participants to identify targets in 2 or 4 rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP) streams, synchronized or asynchronized to manipulate the rate of new information globally (across streams). Identification accuracy exhibited little or no change when the global rate of new information doubled from 7.5 to 15 Hz (Experiment 1) or quadrupled to 30 Hz (Experiment 2). This relatively stable identification accuracy occurred even though participants reliably discriminated 7.5 Hz synchronous displays from displays globally asynchronized at 15 and 30 Hz (Metamer Control Experiment). Identification accuracy in the left visual field also significantly exceeded that in the right visual field. Overall, our results are consistent with temporally independent attention across distinct spatial locations and support previous reports of a right parietal "when" pathway specialized for temporal attention.
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22
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Prete G, Capotosto P, Zappasodi F, Laeng B, Tommasi L. The cerebral correlates of subliminal emotions: an eleoencephalographic study with emotional hybrid faces. Eur J Neurosci 2015; 42:2952-62. [PMID: 26370468 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.13078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2014] [Revised: 09/07/2015] [Accepted: 09/08/2015] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
In a high-resolution electroencephalographic study, participants evaluated the friendliness level of upright and inverted 'hybrid faces', i.e. facial photos containing a subliminal emotional core in the low spatial frequencies (< 6 cycles/image), superimposed on a neutral expression in the rest of the spatial frequencies. Upright happy and angry faces were judged as more friendly or less friendly than neutral faces, respectively. We observed the time course of cerebral correlates of these stimuli with event-related potentials (ERPs), confirming that hybrid faces elicited the posterior emotion-related and face-related components (P1, N170 and P2), previously shown to be engaged by non-subliminal emotional stimuli. In addition, these components were stronger in the right hemisphere and were both enhanced and delayed by face inversion. A frontal positivity (210-300 ms) was stronger for emotional than for neutral faces, and for upright than for inverted faces. Hence, hybrid faces represent an original approach in the study of subliminal emotions, which appears promising for investigating their electrophysiological correlates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giulia Prete
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Science, 'G. d'Annunzio' University of Chieti-Pescara, Blocco A, Via dei Vestini 31, I-66013, Chieti, Italy
| | - Paolo Capotosto
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Science, 'G. d'Annunzio' University of Chieti-Pescara, Blocco A, Via dei Vestini 31, I-66013, Chieti, Italy.,Institute for Advanced Biomedical Technologies, 'G. d'Annunzio' University of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy
| | - Filippo Zappasodi
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Science, 'G. d'Annunzio' University of Chieti-Pescara, Blocco A, Via dei Vestini 31, I-66013, Chieti, Italy.,Institute for Advanced Biomedical Technologies, 'G. d'Annunzio' University of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy
| | - Bruno Laeng
- Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Luca Tommasi
- Department of Psychological Science, Health and Territory, 'G. d'Annunzio' University of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy
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Dynamic reorganization of human resting-state networks during visuospatial attention. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2015; 112:8112-7. [PMID: 26080395 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1415439112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 119] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Fundamental problems in neuroscience today are understanding how patterns of ongoing spontaneous activity are modified by task performance and whether/how these intrinsic patterns influence task-evoked activation and behavior. We examined these questions by comparing instantaneous functional connectivity (IFC) and directed functional connectivity (DFC) changes in two networks that are strongly correlated and segregated at rest: the visual (VIS) network and the dorsal attention network (DAN). We measured how IFC and DFC during a visuospatial attention task, which requires dynamic selective rerouting of visual information across hemispheres, changed with respect to rest. During the attention task, the two networks remained relatively segregated, and their general pattern of within-network correlation was maintained. However, attention induced a decrease of correlation in the VIS network and an increase of the DAN→VIS IFC and DFC, especially in a top-down direction. In contrast, within the DAN, IFC was not modified by attention, whereas DFC was enhanced. Importantly, IFC modulations were behaviorally relevant. We conclude that a stable backbone of within-network functional connectivity topography remains in place when transitioning between resting wakefulness and attention selection. However, relative decrease of correlation of ongoing "idling" activity in visual cortex and synchronization between frontoparietal and visual cortex were behaviorally relevant, indicating that modulations of resting activity patterns are important for task performance. Higher order resting connectivity in the DAN was relatively unaffected during attention, potentially indicating a role for simultaneous ongoing activity as a "prior" for attention selection.
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