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Zhang Y, Zhang X, Lu X, Chen N. Attention spotlight in V1-based cortico-cortical interactions in human visual hierarchy. Sci Rep 2024; 14:13140. [PMID: 38849423 PMCID: PMC11161588 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-63817-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2023] [Accepted: 06/03/2024] [Indexed: 06/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Attention is often viewed as a mental spotlight, which can be scaled like a zoom lens at specific spatial locations and features a center-surround gradient. Here, we demonstrate a neural signature of attention spotlight in signal transmission along the visual hierarchy. fMRI background connectivity analysis was performed between retinotopic V1 and downstream areas to characterize the spatial distribution of inter-areal interaction under two attentional states. We found that, compared to diffused attention, focal attention sharpened the spatial gradient in the strength of the background connectivity. Dynamic causal modeling analysis further revealed the effect of attention in both the feedback and feedforward connectivity between V1 and extrastriate cortex. In a context which induced a strong effect of crowding, the effect of attention in the background connectivity profile diminished. Our findings reveal a context-dependent attention prioritization in information transmission via modulating the recurrent processing across the early stages in human visual cortex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanyu Zhang
- Institute of Neuroscience, Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200031, China
| | - Xilin Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences, Ministry of Education, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510631, Guangdong, China
- School of Psychology, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510631, Guangdong, China
| | - Xincheng Lu
- Department of psychological and cognitive sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Nihong Chen
- Department of psychological and cognitive sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.
- IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research at Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.
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2
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Roy A, Girija VS, Kitzlerová E. The Role of Momentary Dissociation in the Sensory Cortex: A Neurophysiological Review and its Implications for Maladaptive Daydreaming. Med Sci Monit 2024; 30:e944209. [PMID: 38848281 PMCID: PMC11166090 DOI: 10.12659/msm.944209] [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: 02/20/2024] [Accepted: 03/27/2024] [Indexed: 06/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Daydreaming, a form of spontaneous and self-generated mental process, may lead to the disintegration of attention from the immediate external environment. In extreme cases, patients may develop maladaptive daydreaming comorbid with dissociation. The examination of dissociative alterations frequently occurs within the framework of complex cognitive processes. While dissociation may be a neurological and psychological dysfunction of integration, transient dissociative occurrences, i.e., momentary dissociation may signify a dynamic interplay between attentional division and orientation within the sensory cortex. Furthermore, previous studies have recorded the interactivity of attention by stimuli onset with P3 event-related potentials and the active suppression of distractor positivity. In this context, during auditory and visual mismatch negativity, the sensory cortex may interact with attentional orientation. Additionally, distractor positivity during task-relevant stimuli may play a crucial role in predicting momentary dissociation since sensory cortices share cerebral correlates with attentional fluctuations during mental imagery. Thus, this theoretical review investigated the cerebral activities associated with attentional orientation and may be extended to mindfulness. By integrating these findings, we aim to provide a comprehensive understanding of dissociative states which may lead to a resolution for dissociative psychopathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anney Roy
- Department of Psychiatry, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University in Prague and General University Hospital in Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
| | | | - Eva Kitzlerová
- Department of Psychiatry, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University in Prague and General University Hospital in Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
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3
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Chapman AF, Störmer VS. Representational structures as a unifying framework for attention. Trends Cogn Sci 2024; 28:416-427. [PMID: 38280837 PMCID: PMC11290436 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2024.01.002] [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: 06/13/2023] [Revised: 01/04/2024] [Accepted: 01/05/2024] [Indexed: 01/29/2024]
Abstract
Our visual system consciously processes only a subset of the incoming information. Selective attention allows us to prioritize relevant inputs, and can be allocated to features, locations, and objects. Recent advances in feature-based attention suggest that several selection principles are shared across these domains and that many differences between the effects of attention on perceptual processing can be explained by differences in the underlying representational structures. Moving forward, it can thus be useful to assess how attention changes the structure of the representational spaces over which it operates, which include the spatial organization, feature maps, and object-based coding in visual cortex. This will ultimately add to our understanding of how attention changes the flow of visual information processing more broadly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angus F Chapman
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Viola S Störmer
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA.
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4
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Massironi A, Lazzari G, La Rocca S, Ronconi L, Daini R, Lega C. Transcranial magnetic stimulation on the right dorsal attention network modulates the center-surround profile of the attentional focus. Cereb Cortex 2024; 34:bhae015. [PMID: 38300180 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhae015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2023] [Revised: 01/04/2024] [Accepted: 01/06/2024] [Indexed: 02/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Psychophysical observations indicate that the spatial profile of visuospatial attention includes a central enhancement around the attentional focus, encircled by a narrow zone of reduced excitability in the immediate surround. This inhibitory ring optimally amplifies relevant target information, likely stemming from top-down frontoparietal recurrent activity modulating early visual cortex activations. However, the mechanisms through which neural suppression gives rise to the surrounding attenuation and any potential hemispheric specialization remain unclear. We used transcranial magnetic stimulation to evaluate the role of two regions of the dorsal attention network in the center-surround profile: the frontal eye field and the intraparietal sulcus. Participants performed a psychophysical task that mapped the entire spatial attentional profile, while transcranial magnetic stimulation was delivered either to intraparietal sulcus or frontal eye field on the right (Experiment 1) and left (Experiment 2) hemisphere. Results showed that stimulation of right frontal eye field and right intraparietal sulcus significantly changed the center-surround profile, by widening the inhibitory ring around the attentional focus. The stimulation on the left frontal eye field, but not left intraparietal sulcus, induced a general decrease in performance but did not alter the center-surround profile. Results point to a pivotal role of the right dorsal attention network in orchestrating inhibitory spatial mechanisms required to limit interference by surrounding distractors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Massironi
- Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Piazza dell'Ateneo Nuovo 1, 20126 Milan, Italy
| | - Giorgio Lazzari
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Piazza Botta 6, 27100 Pavia, Italy
| | - Stefania La Rocca
- Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Piazza dell'Ateneo Nuovo 1, 20126 Milan, Italy
| | - Luca Ronconi
- School of Psychology, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Via Olgettina 58, 20132 Milan, Italy
- Division of Neuroscience, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, 20132 Milan, Italy
| | - Roberta Daini
- Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Piazza dell'Ateneo Nuovo 1, 20126 Milan, Italy
| | - Carlotta Lega
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Piazza Botta 6, 27100 Pavia, Italy
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5
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Ma X, Abrams RA. Visual Distraction's "Silver Lining": Distractor Suppression Boosts Attention to Competing Stimuli. Psychol Sci 2023; 34:1336-1349. [PMID: 37883793 DOI: 10.1177/09567976231201853] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Efficient search of the environment requires that people attend to the desired elements in a scene and ignore the undesired ones. Recent research has shown that this endeavor can benefit from the ability to proactively suppress distractors with known features, but little is known about the mechanisms that produce the suppression. We show here in five experiments (N = 120 college students) that, surprisingly, identification of a sought-for target is enhanced when it is grouped with a suppressed distractor compared with when it is in a different perceptual group. The results show that the suppressive mechanism not only downweights undesired elements but also enhances responses to task-relevant elements in competition for attention with the distractor, fine tuning the suppression. The findings extend the understanding of how people efficiently process their visual world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaojin Ma
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis
| | - Richard A Abrams
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis
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6
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Bartsch MV, Merkel C, Strumpf H, Schoenfeld MA, Tsotsos JK, Hopf JM. A cortical zoom-in operation underlies covert shifts of visual spatial attention. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eade7996. [PMID: 36888705 PMCID: PMC9995033 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.ade7996] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2022] [Accepted: 02/07/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Shifting the focus of attention without moving the eyes poses challenges for signal coding in visual cortex in terms of spatial resolution, signal routing, and cross-talk. Little is known how these problems are solved during focus shifts. Here, we analyze the spatiotemporal dynamic of neuromagnetic activity in human visual cortex as a function of the size and number of focus shifts in visual search. We find that large shifts elicit activity modulations progressing from highest (IT) through mid-level (V4) to lowest hierarchical levels (V1). Smaller shifts cause those modulations to start at lower levels in the hierarchy. Successive shifts involve repeated backward progressions through the hierarchy. We conclude that covert focus shifts arise from a cortical coarse-to-fine process progressing from retinotopic areas with larger toward areas with smaller receptive fields. This process localizes the target and increases the spatial resolution of selection, which resolves the above issues of cortical coding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mandy V. Bartsch
- Leibniz-Institute for Neurobiology, Magdeburg, Germany
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Christian Merkel
- Leibniz-Institute for Neurobiology, Magdeburg, Germany
- Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany
| | | | - Mircea A. Schoenfeld
- Leibniz-Institute for Neurobiology, Magdeburg, Germany
- Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany
- Kliniken Schmieder, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - John K. Tsotsos
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, York University, Toronto, Canada
- Centre for Innovation in Computing at Lassonde, York University, Toronto, Canada
- Centre for Vision Research, York University, Toronto, Canada
- Department of Computer Science, University of Toronto, Canada
| | - Jens-Max Hopf
- Leibniz-Institute for Neurobiology, Magdeburg, Germany
- Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany
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7
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Effects of top-down and bottom-up attention on post-selection posterior contralateral negativity. Atten Percept Psychophys 2023; 85:705-717. [PMID: 36788197 DOI: 10.3758/s13414-022-02636-7] [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] [Accepted: 12/08/2022] [Indexed: 02/16/2023]
Abstract
We examined the effect of combined top-down and bottom-up attentional control sources in easy and difficult visual search tasks. Applying a new analysis on previously acquired data, we focused on the sustained posterior contralateral negativity (SPCN) and the response-locked posterior contralateral negativity (RLpcN), to better understand processes following target selection. We used the signed-area approach to measure the negative area, where the signal was either locked to the target or the response onsets. We further split the RLpcN into an early and a late segment to capture the dynamics of selection and post-selection processes. In Experiment 1, participants reported the orientation of a uniquely tilted target. In Experiment 2, participants reported the position of a small gap within the uniquely tilted target. In both experiments, endogenous cues manipulated top-down attention (valid vs. neutral), and salient color singletons (either the target or a distractor) manipulated bottom-up attention. We hypothesized that the SPCN and the later segment of the RLpcN would be modulated by task difficulty and target salience, as they are associated with post-selection processes, such as response selection and working memory. The early segment of the RLpcN was hypothesized to be modulated by the cueing manipulation and presence of a salient distractor, as they affect target selection. An effect of distractor presence was observed on the early segment of the RLpcN, and our results further supported the hypotheses regarding the SPCN and the later segment of the RLpcN, providing novel insights into post-selection processes in visual search.
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8
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Rashal E, Senoussi M, Santandrea E, Ben‐Hamed S, Macaluso E, Chelazzi L, Boehler CN. An EEG study of the combined effects of top‐down and bottom‐up attentional selection under varying task difficulty. Psychophysiology 2022; 59:e14002. [DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2021] [Revised: 12/28/2021] [Accepted: 12/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Einat Rashal
- Department of Experimental Psychology Ghent University Ghent Belgium
| | - Mehdi Senoussi
- Department of Experimental Psychology Ghent University Ghent Belgium
| | - Elisa Santandrea
- Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences University of Verona Verona Italy
| | | | | | - Leonardo Chelazzi
- Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences University of Verona Verona Italy
| | - C. Nico Boehler
- Department of Experimental Psychology Ghent University Ghent Belgium
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9
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Wienke C, Bartsch MV, Vogelgesang L, Reichert C, Hinrichs H, Heinze HJ, Dürschmid S. Mind-wandering Is Accompanied by Both Local Sleep and Enhanced Processes of Spatial Attention Allocation. Cereb Cortex Commun 2021; 2:tgab001. [PMID: 34296151 PMCID: PMC8153027 DOI: 10.1093/texcom/tgab001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2020] [Revised: 12/28/2020] [Accepted: 12/30/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Mind-wandering (MW) is a subjective, cognitive phenomenon, in which thoughts move away from the task toward an internal train of thoughts, possibly during phases of neuronal sleep-like activity (local sleep, LS). MW decreases cortical processing of external stimuli and is assumed to decouple attention from the external world. Here, we directly tested how indicators of LS, cortical processing, and attentional selection change in a pop-out visual search task during phases of MW. Participants’ brain activity was recorded using magnetoencephalography, MW was assessed via self-report using randomly interspersed probes. As expected, the performance decreased under MW. Consistent with the occurrence of LS, MW was accompanied by a decrease in high-frequency activity (HFA, 80–150 Hz) and an increase in slow wave activity (SWA, 1–6 Hz). In contrast, visual attentional selection as indexed by the N2pc component was enhanced during MW with the N2pc amplitude being directly linked to participants’ performance. This observation clearly contradicts accounts of attentional decoupling that would predict a decrease in attention-related responses to external stimuli during MW. Together, our results suggest that MW occurs during phases of LS with processes of attentional target selection being upregulated, potentially to compensate for the mental distraction during MW.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Wienke
- Department of Neurology, Otto-von-Guericke University, Leipziger Str. 44, 39120 Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Mandy V Bartsch
- Department of Behavioral Neurology, Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Brenneckestr. 6, 39118 Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Lena Vogelgesang
- Department of Behavioral Neurology, Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Brenneckestr. 6, 39118 Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Christoph Reichert
- Forschungscampus STIMULATE, Otto-von-Guericke University, Universitätsplatz 2, 39106 Magdeburg, Germany.,Department of Behavioral Neurology, Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Brenneckestr. 6, 39118 Magdeburg, Germany.,CBBS - center of behavioral brain sciences, Otto-von-Guericke University, Universitätsplatz 2, 39106 Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Hermann Hinrichs
- Department of Neurology, Otto-von-Guericke University, Leipziger Str. 44, 39120 Magdeburg, Germany.,Forschungscampus STIMULATE, Otto-von-Guericke University, Universitätsplatz 2, 39106 Magdeburg, Germany.,Department of Behavioral Neurology, Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Brenneckestr. 6, 39118 Magdeburg, Germany.,CBBS - center of behavioral brain sciences, Otto-von-Guericke University, Universitätsplatz 2, 39106 Magdeburg, Germany.,German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Leipziger Str. 44, 39120 Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Hans-Jochen Heinze
- Department of Neurology, Otto-von-Guericke University, Leipziger Str. 44, 39120 Magdeburg, Germany.,Forschungscampus STIMULATE, Otto-von-Guericke University, Universitätsplatz 2, 39106 Magdeburg, Germany.,Department of Behavioral Neurology, Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Brenneckestr. 6, 39118 Magdeburg, Germany.,CBBS - center of behavioral brain sciences, Otto-von-Guericke University, Universitätsplatz 2, 39106 Magdeburg, Germany.,German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Leipziger Str. 44, 39120 Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Stefan Dürschmid
- Department of Neurology, Otto-von-Guericke University, Leipziger Str. 44, 39120 Magdeburg, Germany.,Department of Behavioral Neurology, Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Brenneckestr. 6, 39118 Magdeburg, Germany
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10
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Couperus JW, Lydic KO, Hollis JE, Roy JL, Lowe AR, Bukach CM, Reed CL. Individual Differences in Working Memory and the N2pc. Front Hum Neurosci 2021; 15:620413. [PMID: 33776669 PMCID: PMC7990761 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2021.620413] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2020] [Accepted: 02/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The lateralized ERP N2pc component has been shown to be an effective marker of attentional object selection when elicited in a visual search task, specifically reflecting the selection of a target item among distractors. Moreover, when targets are known in advance, the visual search process is guided by representations of target features held in working memory at the time of search, thus guiding attention to objects with target-matching features. Previous studies have shown that manipulating working memory availability via concurrent tasks or within task manipulations influences visual search performance and the N2pc. Other studies have indicated that visual (non-spatial) vs. spatial working memory manipulations have differential contributions to visual search. To investigate this the current study assesses participants' visual and spatial working memory ability independent of the visual search task to determine whether such individual differences in working memory affect task performance and the N2pc. Participants (n = 205) completed a visual search task to elicit the N2pc and separate visual working memory (VWM) and spatial working memory (SPWM) assessments. Greater SPWM, but not VWM, ability is correlated with and predicts higher visual search accuracy and greater N2pc amplitudes. Neither VWM nor SPWM was related to N2pc latency. These results provide additional support to prior behavioral and neural visual search findings that spatial WM availability, whether as an ability of the participant's processing system or based on task demands, plays an important role in efficient visual search.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jane W Couperus
- Mt. Holyoke College, South Hadley, MA, United States.,Hampshire College, Amherst, MA, United States
| | | | | | | | - Amy R Lowe
- Hampshire College, Amherst, MA, United States
| | - Cindy M Bukach
- Psychology Department, University of Richmond, Richmond, VA, United States
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11
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Abstract
Selective attention affords scrutinizing items in our environment. However, attentional selection changes over time and across space. Empirically, repetition of visual search conditions changes attentional processing. Priming of pop-out is a vivid example. Repeatedly searching for the same pop-out search feature is accomplished with faster response times and fewer errors. We review the psychophysical background of priming of pop-out, focusing on the hypothesis that it arises through changes in visual selective attention. We also describe research done with macaque monkeys to understand the neural mechanisms supporting visual selective attention and priming of pop-out, and survey research on priming of pop-out using noninvasive brain measures with humans. We conclude by hypothesizing three alternative neural mechanisms and highlighting open questions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob A Westerberg
- Department of Psychology, Center for Integrative and Cognitive Neuroscience, Vanderbilt Vision Research Center, College of Arts and Sciences, Vanderbilt University, 111 21st Avenue South, Nashville, TN, 37240, USA.
| | - Jeffrey D Schall
- Department of Psychology, Center for Integrative and Cognitive Neuroscience, Vanderbilt Vision Research Center, College of Arts and Sciences, Vanderbilt University, 111 21st Avenue South, Nashville, TN, 37240, USA
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12
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Donohue SE, Schoenfeld MA, Hopf JM. Parallel fast and slow recurrent cortical processing mediates target and distractor selection in visual search. Commun Biol 2020; 3:689. [PMID: 33214640 PMCID: PMC7677324 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-020-01423-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2020] [Accepted: 09/30/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Visual search has been commonly used to study the neural correlates of attentional allocation in space. Recent electrophysiological research has disentangled distractor processing from target processing, showing that these mechanisms appear to operate in parallel and show electric fields of opposite polarity. Nevertheless, the localization and exact nature of this activity is unknown. Here, using MEG in humans, we provide a spatiotemporal characterization of target and distractor processing in visual cortex. We demonstrate that source activity underlying target- and distractor-processing propagates in parallel as fast and slow sweep from higher to lower hierarchical levels in visual cortex. Importantly, the fast propagating target-related source activity bypasses intermediate levels to go directly to V1, and this V1 activity correlates with behavioral performance. These findings suggest that reentrant processing is important for both selection and attenuation of stimuli, and such processing operates in parallel feedback loops. Sarah E. Donohue et al. characterize the spatiotemporal propagation of target and distractor processing in the human visual cortex. They show that these signals propagate in parallel as fast and slow sweeps from higher to lower hierarchical levels, and that the fast target processing signal can bypass intermediate levels correlating with behavioral performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah E Donohue
- Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, 39120, Magdeburg, Germany.,Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, 39118, Magdeburg, Germany.,University of Illinois College of Medicine Peoria, 61605, Peoria, IL, USA
| | - Mircea A Schoenfeld
- Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, 39120, Magdeburg, Germany.,Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, 39118, Magdeburg, Germany.,Kliniken Schmieder Heidelberg, 69117, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Jens-Max Hopf
- Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, 39120, Magdeburg, Germany. .,Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, 39118, Magdeburg, Germany.
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13
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Reichert C, Dürschmid S, Bartsch MV, Hopf JM, Heinze HJ, Hinrichs H. Decoding the covert shift of spatial attention from electroencephalographic signals permits reliable control of a brain-computer interface. J Neural Eng 2020; 17:056012. [PMID: 32906103 DOI: 10.1088/1741-2552/abb692] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE One of the main goals of brain-computer interfaces (BCI) is to restore communication abilities in patients. BCIs often use event-related potentials (ERPs) like the P300 which signals the presence of a target in a stream of stimuli. The P300 and related approaches, however, are inherently limited, as they require many stimulus presentations to obtain a usable control signal. Many approaches depend on gaze direction to focus the target, which is also not a viable approach in many cases, because eye movements might be impaired in potential users. Here we report on a BCI that avoids both shortcomings by decoding spatial target information, independent of gaze shifts. APPROACH We present a new method to decode from the electroencephalogram (EEG) covert shifts of attention to one out of four targets simultaneously presented in the left and right visual field. The task is designed to evoke the N2pc component-a hemisphere lateralized response, elicited over the occipital scalp contralateral to the attended target. The decoding approach involves decoding of the N2pc based on data-driven estimation of spatial filters and a correlation measure. MAIN RESULTS Despite variability of decoding performance across subjects, 22 out of 24 subjects performed well above chance level. Six subjects even exceeded 80% (cross-validated: 89%) correct predictions in a four-class discrimination task. Hence, the single-trial N2pc proves to be a component that allows for reliable BCI control. An offline analysis of the EEG data with respect to their dependence on stimulation time and number of classes demonstrates that the present method is also a workable approach for two-class tasks. SIGNIFICANCE Our method extends the range of strategies for gaze-independent BCI control. The proposed decoding approach has the potential to be efficient in similar applications intended to decode ERPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christoph Reichert
- Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Magdeburg, Germany. Forschungscampus STIMULATE, Magdeburg, Germany. Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences (CBBS), Magdeburg, Germany
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14
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Sklar AL, Coffman BA, Haas G, Ghuman A, Cho R, Salisbury DF. Inefficient visual search strategies in the first-episode schizophrenia spectrum. Schizophr Res 2020; 224:126-132. [PMID: 33097368 PMCID: PMC7722051 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2020.09.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2020] [Revised: 08/05/2020] [Accepted: 09/22/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Knowledge is lacking regarding deficits in selective attention and their underlying biological mechanisms during early stages of schizophrenia. The present study examined the N2pc, a neurophysiological index of covert spatial attention, and its cortical sources at first psychotic episode in the schizophrenia spectrum (FESz). METHODS Neurophysiological responses measured simultaneously with magnetoencephalography (MEG) and electroencephalography (EEG) during pop-out and serial search tasks were compared between 32 FESz and 32 matched healthy controls (HC). Mean scalp-recorded N2pc was measured from a cluster of posterior-lateral EEG electrodes. Cortical source-resolved MEG activity contributing to the N2pc signal was derived for the intraparietal sulcus (IPS) and lateral occipital complex (LOC). RESULTS Group differences in EEG N2pc varied by task demand. FESz exhibited reduced N2pc amplitude during pop-out (p < .01), but not serial search (p = .11). Furthermore, group differences in N2pc-related MEG cortical activity varied by task demand and cortical region. Compared to HC, FESz exhibited greater IPS during serial search (p < .01). DISCUSSION Reductions in EEG N2pc amplitude indicate an impairment of visuo-spatial attention evident at an individual's first psychotic episode, specifically during conditions emphasizing bottom-up processing. Examination of its cortical sources with MEG revealed that, compared to HC, FESz engaged parietal structures to a greater extent during the serial search condition. This pattern suggests a less efficient, more resource intensive strategy employed by FESz in response to a minimal demand on attention. The greater reliance on this controlled attentional network may negatively impact real-world functions with much greater complexity and attentional demands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alfredo L Sklar
- Clinical Neurophysiology Research Laboratory, UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Brian A Coffman
- Clinical Neurophysiology Research Laboratory, UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Gretchen Haas
- UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System and VISN 4 MIRECC, U.S. Dept of Veterans Affairs, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Avniel Ghuman
- Laboratory of Cognitive Neurodynamics, Department of Neurosurgery, Presbyterian Hospital, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Raymond Cho
- Department of Psychiatry, Baylor College of Medicine and Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Dean F Salisbury
- Clinical Neurophysiology Research Laboratory, UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
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15
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Baruch O, Goldfarb L. Mexican Hat Modulation of Visual Acuity Following an Exogenous Cue. Front Psychol 2020; 11:854. [PMID: 32499738 PMCID: PMC7242741 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00854] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2020] [Accepted: 04/06/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Classical models of exogenous attention suggest that attentional enhancement at the focus of attention degrades gradually with distance from the attended location. On the other hand, the Attentional Attraction Field (AAF) model (Baruch and Yeshurun, 2014) suggests that the shift of receptive fields toward the attended location, reported by several physiological studies, leads to a decreased density of RFs at the attentional surrounds and hence the model predicts that the modulation of performance by spatial attention may have the shape of a Mexican Hat. Motivated by these theories, this study presents behavioral evidence in support of a Mexican Hat shaped modulation in exogenous spatial tasks that appears only at short latencies. In two experiments participants had to decide the location of a small gap in a target circle that was preceded by a non-informative attention capturing cue. The distance between cue and target and the latency between their onsets were varied. At short SOAs the performance curves were cubic and only at longer SOAs- this trend turned linear. Our results suggest that a rapid Mexican Hat modulation is an inherent property of the mechanism underlying exogenous attention and that a monotonically degrading trend, such as advocated by classical models, develops only at later stages of processing. The involvements of bottom-up processes such as the attraction of RFs to the focus of attention are further discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Orit Baruch
- The Institute for Information Processing and Decision Making (IIPDM), University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Liat Goldfarb
- E. J. Safra Brain Research Center for the Study of Learning Disabilities, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
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16
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Liang T, Cheng Z, Hu W, Ye C, Zhang J, Liu Q. Limitations of concurrently representing objects within view and in visual working memory. Sci Rep 2020; 10:5351. [PMID: 32210299 PMCID: PMC7093397 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-62164-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2019] [Accepted: 03/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Representing visibly present stimuli is as limited in capacity as representing invisible stimuli in visual working memory (WM). In this study, we explored whether concurrently representing stimuli within view affects representing objects in visual WM, and if so, whether this effect is modulated by the storage states (active and silent state) of memory contents? In experiment 1, participants were asked to perform the change-detect task in a simultaneous-representing condition in which WM content and the continuously-visible stimuli in view were simultaneously represented, as well as a baseline condition in which only the representations of visual WM content were maintained. The results showed that the representations in visual WM would be impaired when the continuously-visible stimuli in view were concurrently represented, revealed by the reduced CDA amplitude and the lower behavior performance. In experiment 2, a dual-serial retro-cue paradigm was adopted to guide participants to maintain memory items in two different storage states, and the results revealed that simultaneously representing the continuously-visible stimuli and the WM content would only impair the WM representations in the active state. These evidences demonstrated that only the visual WM representations that were maintained in the active state would definitely share the limited resources with the representations of continuously-visible information, and further supported the dissociation between the active state and silent state of visual WM storage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tengfei Liang
- Institute of Brain and Psychological Sciences, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, 610000, China
- Research Center of Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian, 116029, China
| | - Zijian Cheng
- Research Center of Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian, 116029, China
| | - Wenjing Hu
- Research Center of Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian, 116029, China
| | - Chaoxiong Ye
- Institute of Brain and Psychological Sciences, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, 610000, China
- Department of Psychology, University of Jyvaskyla, Jyväskylä, 40014, Finland
| | - Jiafeng Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Qiang Liu
- Institute of Brain and Psychological Sciences, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, 610000, China.
- Research Center of Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian, 116029, China.
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17
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Abstract
Controversy currently exists regarding whether visual working memory (VWM) maintains sensory or non-sensory representations. Here, we tested the nature of VWM representations by leveraging a perceptual surround suppression effect when an item is attended. Participants performed a delayed-estimation task in which they memorized an array of six colors. A cue indicated which location was most likely probed. In separate experiments, we manipulated external attention (via a precue) or internal attention (via a retrocue). Both types of attention elicited a surround suppression effect, such that memory performance showed a Mexican-hat profile as a function of cue-probe offsets. Given the sensory origin of the surround suppression effect, our results thus provide compelling evidence that VWM maintenance relies on sensory mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ming W H Fang
- Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, 316 Physics Road, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA
| | - Susan M Ravizza
- Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, 316 Physics Road, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA
- Neuroscience Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
| | - Taosheng Liu
- Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, 316 Physics Road, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA.
- Neuroscience Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA.
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18
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Couperus JW, Lydic KO. Attentional set and the gradient of visual spatial attention. Neurosci Lett 2019; 712:134495. [PMID: 31520648 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2019.134495] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2019] [Revised: 08/26/2019] [Accepted: 09/10/2019] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
There are a number of factors that may influence the shape and scope of the gradient of visual attention. This study examined the role of attentional set in determining the scope and presence of suppression in the gradient of visual selective attention observed in the P1 event related potential waveform. Twenty-two participants were asked to attend to a specific location and respond to a target stimulus. However, thirty percent of the time, the stimulus could also appear at one of 7 other locations (three ipsilateral to the attended location and four contralateral). Attentional set was varied by changes in the instructions to avoid confounds created by changing the stimuli. In half of the study participants were asked to respond only to stimuli that appeared at the designated location. In the other half of the study participants were asked to attend to the designated location but respond to all stimuli. Results demonstrate a significant main effect of attentional set, with greater processing when participants were asked to respond to all stimuli as compared to when they were only asked to respond to stimuli at the designated location. Additionally a significant interaction between visual field and location shows greater differences in processing (i.e. an attentional effect) at locations closer to the designated location. Findings are discussed in relation to the scope and gradient of attention.
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19
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Yoo SA, Tsotsos JK, Fallah M. The Attentional Suppressive Surround: Eccentricity, Location-Based and Feature-Based Effects and Interactions. Front Neurosci 2018; 12:710. [PMID: 30349452 PMCID: PMC6186833 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2018.00710] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2017] [Accepted: 09/18/2018] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The Selective Tuning model of visual attention (Tsotsos, 1990) has proposed that the focus of attention is surrounded by an inhibitory zone, eliciting a center-surround attentional distribution. This attentional suppressive surround inhibits irrelevant information which is located close to attended information in physical space (e.g., Cutzu and Tsotsos, 2003; Hopf et al., 2010) or in feature space (e.g., Tombu and Tsotsos, 2008; Störmer and Alvarez, 2014; Bartsch et al., 2017). In Experiment 1, we investigate the interaction between location-based and feature-based surround suppression and hypothesize that the attentional surround suppression would be maximized when spatially adjacent stimuli are also represented closely within a feature map. Our results demonstrate that perceptual discrimination is worst when two similar orientations are presented in proximity to each other, suggesting the interplay of the two surround suppression mechanisms. The Selective Tuning model also predicts that the size of the attentional suppressive surround is determined by the receptive field size of the neuron which optimally processes the attended information. The receptive field size of the processing neurons is tightly associated with stimulus size and eccentricity. Therefore, Experiment 2 tested the hypothesis that the size of the attentional suppressive surround would become larger as stimulus size and eccentricity increase, corresponding to an increase in the neuron's receptive field size. We show that stimulus eccentricity but not stimulus size modulates the size of the attentional suppressive surround. These results are consistent for both low- and high-level features (e.g., orientation and human faces). Overall, the present study supports the existence of the attentional suppressive surround and reveals new properties of this selection mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sang-Ah Yoo
- Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Centre for Vision Research, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - John K. Tsotsos
- Centre for Vision Research, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Active and Attentive Vision Laboratory, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Mazyar Fallah
- Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Centre for Vision Research, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Visual Perception and Attention Laboratory, School of Kinesiology and Health Science, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada
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20
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Cortical Mechanisms of Prioritizing Selection for Rejection in Visual Search. J Neurosci 2018; 38:4738-4748. [PMID: 29691330 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2407-17.2018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2017] [Revised: 03/23/2018] [Accepted: 03/30/2018] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
In visual search, the more one knows about a target, the faster one can find it. Surprisingly, target identification is also faster with knowledge about distractor-features. The latter is paradoxical, as it implies that to avoid the selection of an item, the item must somehow be selected to some degree. This conundrum has been termed the "ignoring paradox", and, to date, little is known about how the brain resolves it. Here, in data from four experiments using neuromagnetic brain recordings in male and female humans, we provide evidence that this paradox is resolved by giving distracting information priority in cortical processing. This attentional priority to distractors manifests as an enhanced early neuromagnetic index, which occurs before target-related processing, and regardless of distractor predictability. It is most pronounced on trials for which a response rapidly occurred, and is followed by a suppression of the distracting information. These observations together suggest that in visual search items cannot be ignored without first being selected.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT How can we ignore distracting stimuli in our environment? To do this successfully, a logical hypothesis is that as few neural resources as possible should be devoted to distractor processing. Yet, to avoid devoting resources to a distractor, the brain must somehow mark what to avoid; this is a philosophical problem, which has been termed the "ignoring paradox" or "white bear phenomenon". Here, we use MEG recordings to determine how the human brain resolves this paradox. Our data show that distractors are not only processed, they are given temporal priority, with the brain building a robust representation of the to-be-ignored items. Thus, successful suppression of distractors can only be achieved if distractors are first strongly neurally represented.
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21
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Stimuli that signal the availability of reward break into attentional focus. Vision Res 2018; 144:20-28. [DOI: 10.1016/j.visres.2017.10.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2017] [Revised: 09/28/2017] [Accepted: 10/11/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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22
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Ronconi L, Gori S, Federici A, Devita M, Carna S, Sali ME, Molteni M, Casartelli L, Facoetti A. Weak surround suppression of the attentional focus characterizes visual selection in the ventral stream in autism. NEUROIMAGE-CLINICAL 2018; 18:912-922. [PMID: 29876276 PMCID: PMC5988461 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2018.02.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2017] [Revised: 02/04/2018] [Accepted: 02/16/2018] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Neurophysiological findings in the typical population demonstrate that spatial scrutiny for visual selection determines a center-surround profile of the attentional focus, which is the result of recurrent processing in the visual system. Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) manifest several anomalies in their visual selection, with strengths in detail-oriented tasks, but also difficulties in distractor inhibition tasks. Here, we asked whether contradictory aspects of perception in ASD might be due to a different center-surround profile of their attentional focus. In two experiments, we tested two independent samples of children with ASD, comparing them with typically developing (TD) peers. In Experiment 1, we used a psychophysical task that mapped the entire spatial profile of the attentional focus. In Experiment 2, we used dense-array electroencephalography (EEG) to explore its neurophysiological underpinnings. Experiment 1 results showed that the suppression, surrounding the attentional focus, was markedly reduced in children with ASD. Experiment 2 showed that the center-surround profile in TD children resulted in a modulation of the posterior N2 ERP component, with cortical sources in the lateral-occipital and medial/inferior temporal areas. In contrast, children with ASD did not show modulation of the N2 and related activations in the ventral visual stream. Furthermore, behavioural and neurophysiological measures of weaker suppression predicted more severe autistic symptomatology. The present findings, showing an altered center-surround profile during attentional selection, give an important insight to understand superior visual processing in autism as well as the experiencing of sensory overload.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca Ronconi
- Developmental and Cognitive Neuroscience Lab, Department of General Psychology, University of Padua, Italy; Center for Mind/Brain Sciences (CIMeC), University of Trento, Italy; Child Psychopathology Unit, Scientific Institute IRCCS "E. Medea", Bosisio Parini, Italy.
| | - Simone Gori
- Child Psychopathology Unit, Scientific Institute IRCCS "E. Medea", Bosisio Parini, Italy; Department of Human and Social Science, University of Bergamo, Italy
| | - Alessandra Federici
- Child Psychopathology Unit, Scientific Institute IRCCS "E. Medea", Bosisio Parini, Italy
| | - Maria Devita
- Department of Human and Social Science, University of Bergamo, Italy
| | - Serena Carna
- Child Psychopathology Unit, Scientific Institute IRCCS "E. Medea", Bosisio Parini, Italy
| | - Maria E Sali
- Child Psychopathology Unit, Scientific Institute IRCCS "E. Medea", Bosisio Parini, Italy
| | - Massimo Molteni
- Child Psychopathology Unit, Scientific Institute IRCCS "E. Medea", Bosisio Parini, Italy
| | - Luca Casartelli
- Child Psychopathology Unit, Scientific Institute IRCCS "E. Medea", Bosisio Parini, Italy
| | - Andrea Facoetti
- Developmental and Cognitive Neuroscience Lab, Department of General Psychology, University of Padua, Italy; Child Psychopathology Unit, Scientific Institute IRCCS "E. Medea", Bosisio Parini, Italy.
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23
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Tsotsos JK. Complexity Level Analysis Revisited: What Can 30 Years of Hindsight Tell Us about How the Brain Might Represent Visual Information? Front Psychol 2017; 8:1216. [PMID: 28848458 PMCID: PMC5552749 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2016] [Accepted: 07/03/2017] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Much has been written about how the biological brain might represent and process visual information, and how this might inspire and inform machine vision systems. Indeed, tremendous progress has been made, and especially during the last decade in the latter area. However, a key question seems too often, if not mostly, be ignored. This question is simply: do proposed solutions scale with the reality of the brain's resources? This scaling question applies equally to brain and to machine solutions. A number of papers have examined the inherent computational difficulty of visual information processing using theoretical and empirical methods. The main goal of this activity had three components: to understand the deep nature of the computational problem of visual information processing; to discover how well the computational difficulty of vision matches to the fixed resources of biological seeing systems; and, to abstract from the matching exercise the key principles that lead to the observed characteristics of biological visual performance. This set of components was termed complexity level analysis in Tsotsos (1987) and was proposed as an important complement to Marr's three levels of analysis. This paper revisits that work with the advantage that decades of hindsight can provide.
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Affiliation(s)
- John K Tsotsos
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, York UniversityToronto, ON, Canada
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24
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Donohue SE, Hopf JM, Bartsch MV, Schoenfeld MA, Heinze HJ, Woldorff MG. The Rapid Capture of Attention by Rewarded Objects. J Cogn Neurosci 2016; 28:529-41. [PMID: 26741800 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_00917] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
When a stimulus is associated with a reward, it becomes prioritized, and the allocation of attention to that stimulus increases. For low-level features, such as color, this reward-based allocation of attention can manifest early in time and as a faster and stronger shift of attention to targets with that color, as reflected by the N2pc (a parieto-occipital electrophysiological component peaking at ∼250 msec). It is unknown, however, if reward associations can similarly modulate attentional shifts to complex objects or object categories, or if reward-related modulation of attentional allocation to such stimuli would occur later in time or through a different mechanism. Here, we used magnetoencephalographic recordings in 24 participants to investigate how object categories with a reward association would modulate the shift of attention. On each trial, two colored squares were presented, one in a target color and the other in a distractor color, each with an embedded object. Participants searched for the target-colored square and performed a corner discrimination task. The embedded objects were from either a rewarded or non-rewarded category, and if a rewarded-category object were present within the target-colored square, participants could earn extra money for correct performance. We observed that when the target color contained an object from a rewarded versus a non-rewarded category, the neural shift of attention to the target was faster and of greater magnitude, although the rewarded objects were not relevant for correct task performance. These results suggest that reward associations of complex objects can rapidly modulate attentional allocation to a target.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah E Donohue
- Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg.,Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Jens-Max Hopf
- Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg.,Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Magdeburg, Germany
| | | | - Mircea A Schoenfeld
- Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg.,Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Hans-Jochen Heinze
- Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg.,Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Marty G Woldorff
- Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg.,Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Magdeburg, Germany.,Duke University
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25
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Walter S, Keitel C, Müller MM. Sustained Splits of Attention within versus across Visual Hemifields Produce Distinct Spatial Gain Profiles. J Cogn Neurosci 2015; 28:111-24. [PMID: 26401813 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_00883] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Visual attention can be focused concurrently on two stimuli at noncontiguous locations while intermediate stimuli remain ignored. Nevertheless, behavioral performance in multifocal attention tasks falters when attended stimuli fall within one visual hemifield as opposed to when they are distributed across left and right hemifields. This "different-hemifield advantage" has been ascribed to largely independent processing capacities of each cerebral hemisphere in early visual cortices. Here, we investigated how this advantage influences the sustained division of spatial attention. We presented six isoeccentric light-emitting diodes (LEDs) in the lower visual field, each flickering at a different frequency. Participants attended to two LEDs that were spatially separated by an intermediate LED and responded to synchronous events at to-be-attended LEDs. Task-relevant pairs of LEDs were either located in the same hemifield ("within-hemifield" conditions) or separated by the vertical meridian ("across-hemifield" conditions). Flicker-driven brain oscillations, steady-state visual evoked potentials (SSVEPs), indexed the allocation of attention to individual LEDs. Both behavioral performance and SSVEPs indicated enhanced processing of attended LED pairs during "across-hemifield" relative to "within-hemifield" conditions. Moreover, SSVEPs demonstrated effective filtering of intermediate stimuli in "across-hemifield" condition only. Thus, despite identical physical distances between LEDs of attended pairs, the spatial profiles of gain effects differed profoundly between "across-hemifield" and "within-hemifield" conditions. These findings corroborate that early cortical visual processing stages rely on hemisphere-specific processing capacities and highlight their limiting role in the concurrent allocation of visual attention to multiple locations.
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26
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Abstract
While there is growing understanding of visual selective attention in children, some aspects such as selection in the presence of distractors are not well understood. Adult studies suggest that when presented with a visual search task, an enhanced negativity is seen beginning around 200 ms (the N2pc) that reflects selection of a target item among distractors. However, it is not known if similar selective attention-related activity is seen in children during visual search. This study was designed to investigate the presence of the N2pc in children. Nineteen children (ages 9–12 years) and 21 adults (ages 18–22 years) completed a visual search task in which they were asked to attend to a fixation surrounded by both a target and a distractor stimulus. Three types of displays were analyzed at parietal electrodes P7 and P8; lateral target/lateral distractor, lateral target/midline distractor, and midline target/lateral distractor. Both adults and children showed a significant increased negativity contralateral compared to ipsilateral to the target (reflected in the N2pc) in both displays with a lateral target while no such effect was seen in displays with a midline target. This suggests that children also utilized additional resources to select a target item when distractors are present. These findings demonstrate that the N2pc can be used as a marker of attentional object selection in children.
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27
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Kehrer S, Kraft A, Koch SP, Kathmann N, Irlbacher K, Brandt SA. Timing of spatial priming within the fronto-parietal attention network: A TMS study. Neuropsychologia 2015; 74:30-6. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2014.11.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2014] [Revised: 11/12/2014] [Accepted: 11/14/2014] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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28
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Becke A, Müller N, Vellage A, Schoenfeld MA, Hopf JM. Neural sources of visual working memory maintenance in human parietal and ventral extrastriate visual cortex. Neuroimage 2015; 110:78-86. [PMID: 25662867 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2015.01.059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2014] [Revised: 01/27/2015] [Accepted: 01/29/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Maintaining information in visual working memory is reliably indexed by the contralateral delay activity (CDA) - a sustained modulation of the event-related potential (ERP) with a topographical maximum over posterior scalp regions contralateral to the memorized input. Based on scalp topography, it is hypothesized that the CDA reflects neural activity in the parietal cortex, but the precise cortical origin of underlying electric activity was never determined. Here we combine ERP recordings with magnetoencephalography based source localization to characterize the cortical current sources generating the CDA. Observers performed a cued delayed match to sample task where either the color or the relative position of colored dots had to be maintained in memory. A detailed source-localization analysis of the magnetic activity in the retention interval revealed that the magnetic analog of the CDA (mCDA) is generated by current sources in the parietal cortex. Importantly, we find that the mCDA also receives contribution from current sources in the ventral extrastriate cortex that display a time-course similar to the parietal sources. On the basis of the magnetic responses, forward modeling of ERP data reveals that the ventral sources have non-optimal projections and that these sources are therefore concealed in the ERP by overlapping fields with parietal projections. The present observations indicate that visual working memory maintenance, as indexed by the CDA, involves the parietal cortical regions as well as the ventral extrastriate regions, which code the sensory representation of the memorized content.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Becke
- Department of Neurology, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany; Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research, Magdeburg, Germany; German Center of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Notger Müller
- Department of Neurology, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany; German Center of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Anne Vellage
- Department of Neurology, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany; German Center of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Mircea Ariel Schoenfeld
- Department of Neurology, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany; Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Jens-Max Hopf
- Department of Neurology, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany; Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Magdeburg, Germany.
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29
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Tan M, Wyble B. Understanding how visual attention locks on to a location: Toward a computational model of the N2pc component. Psychophysiology 2014; 52:199-213. [DOI: 10.1111/psyp.12324] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2013] [Accepted: 07/23/2014] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Mingxuan Tan
- Department of Psychology; Syracuse University; Syracuse New York USA
| | - Brad Wyble
- Department of Psychology; Pennsylvania State University; University Park Pennsylvania USA
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30
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Burra N, Kerzel D. The distractor positivity (Pd) signals lowering of attentional priority: Evidence from event-related potentials and individual differences. Psychophysiology 2014; 51:685-96. [DOI: 10.1111/psyp.12215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2013] [Accepted: 02/06/2014] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas Burra
- Faculté de Psychologie et des Sciences de l'Éducation; University of Geneva; Geneva Switzerland
- Geneva Neuroscience Center; University of Geneva; Geneva Switzerland
| | - Dirk Kerzel
- Faculté de Psychologie et des Sciences de l'Éducation; University of Geneva; Geneva Switzerland
- Geneva Neuroscience Center; University of Geneva; Geneva Switzerland
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31
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Production, control, and visual guidance of saccadic eye movements. ISRN NEUROLOGY 2013; 2013:752384. [PMID: 24260720 PMCID: PMC3821953 DOI: 10.1155/2013/752384] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2013] [Accepted: 08/29/2013] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Primate vision is served by rapid shifts of gaze called saccades. This review will survey current knowledge and particular problems concerning the neural control and guidance of gaze shifts.
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Schall JD. Macrocircuits: decision networks. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2013; 23:269-74. [PMID: 23246279 PMCID: PMC3606280 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2012.11.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2012] [Revised: 11/13/2012] [Accepted: 11/20/2012] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Decision-making requires stimulus categorization and localization to guide accurate responses that can be produced through multiple effectors. The success of actions is monitored so that performance can be adjusted to achieve goals. This review will survey recent empirical and theoretical developments very selectively with an emphasis on neurophysiological data from nonhuman primates that provide the clearest information about neural mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey D Schall
- Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt Vision Research Center, Center for Integrative & Cognitive Neuroscience, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37240, USA.
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Abstract
Feature-based attention is known to operate in a spatially global manner, in that the selection of attended features is not bound to the spatial focus of attention. Here we used electromagnetic recordings in human observers to characterize the spatiotemporal signature of such global selection of an orientation feature. Observers performed a simple orientation-discrimination task while ignoring task-irrelevant orientation probes outside the focus of attention. We observed that global feature-based selection, indexed by the brain response to unattended orientation probes, is composed of separable functional components. One such component reflects global selection based on the similarity of the probe with task-relevant orientation values ("template matching"), which is followed by a component reflecting selection based on the similarity of the probe with the orientation value under discrimination in the focus of attention ("discrimination matching"). Importantly, template matching occurs at ∼150 ms after stimulus onset, ∼80 ms before the onset of discrimination matching. Moreover, source activity underlying template matching and discrimination matching was found to originate from ventral extrastriate cortex, with the former being generated in more anterolateral and the latter in more posteromedial parts, suggesting template matching to occur in visual cortex higher up in the visual processing hierarchy than discrimination matching. We take these observations to indicate that the population-level signature of global feature-based selection reflects a sequence of hierarchically ordered operations in extrastriate visual cortex, in which the selection based on task relevance has temporal priority over the selection based on the sensory similarity between input representations.
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Purcell BA, Schall JD, Woodman GF. On the origin of event-related potentials indexing covert attentional selection during visual search: timing of selection by macaque frontal eye field and event-related potentials during pop-out search. J Neurophysiol 2013; 109:557-69. [PMID: 23100140 PMCID: PMC3545467 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00549.2012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2012] [Accepted: 10/23/2012] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Event-related potentials (ERPs) have provided crucial data concerning the time course of psychological processes, but the neural mechanisms producing ERP components remain poorly understood. This study continues a program of research in which we investigated the neural basis of attention-related ERP components by simultaneously recording intracranially and extracranially from macaque monkeys. Here, we compare the timing of attentional selection by the macaque homologue of the human N2pc component (m-N2pc) with the timing of selection in the frontal eye field (FEF), an attentional-control structure believed to influence posterior visual areas thought to generate the N2pc. We recorded FEF single-unit spiking and local field potentials (LFPs) simultaneously with the m-N2pc in monkeys performing an efficient pop-out search task. We assessed how the timing of attentional selection depends on task demands by direct comparison with a previous study of inefficient search in the same monkeys (e.g., finding a T among Ls). Target selection by FEF spikes, LFPs, and the m-N2pc was earlier during efficient pop-out search rather than during inefficient search. The timing and magnitude of selection in all three signals varied with set size during inefficient but not efficient search. During pop-out search, attentional selection was evident in FEF spiking and LFP before the m-N2pc, following the same sequence observed during inefficient search. These observations are consistent with the hypothesis that feedback from FEF modulates neural activity in posterior regions that appear to generate the m-N2pc even when competition for attention among items in a visual scene is minimal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Braden A Purcell
- Department of Psychology, Center for Integrative & Cognitive Neuroscience, Vanderbilt Vision Research Center, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37240-7817, USA
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Abstract
Attention is thought to operate by enhancing the target of interest and suppressing the surroundings. We hypothesized that the spatial profile of attention depends on the surround's relationship to the target. Using high-density electroencephalographic measurements, we examined the spatial profile of attention to a grating target surrounded by an annular grating that was either coextensive with the target (unsegmented) or appeared segmented from it due to a gap or phase offset. We directly probed the spread of attention from the central target into the surround by flickering the surround and monitoring frequency-tagged steady-state visual-evoked potentials. Observers were required to detect a contrast increment that occurred only on the target. Successful detection of the increment required selecting the target and suppressing the surround, particularly when the target did not readily segment from the surround. The profile of attention was investigated in five visual regions of interest (ROIs) (V1, V4, V3A, lateral occipital complex, and human middle temporal area), mapped in a separate anatomical magnetic resonance imaging scan. We found that in most ROIs, attention to the target generated smaller responses from the surrounding annulus when it was contiguous compared with when it was clearly segmented. This result shows that the profile of attention depends on task demands and on surrounding context; attention is tightly focused when the target region needs to be isolated but loosely focused when the target region is clearly segmented.
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Lustig AG, Beck DM. Task-relevant and task-irrelevant dimensions are modulated independently at a task-irrelevant location. J Cogn Neurosci 2012; 24:1884-95. [PMID: 22624607 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_00249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Single-cell and fMRI experiments indicate that task-relevant features are enhanced globally across the visual field (VF). Moreover, this global feature-based attention can spread to task-irrelevant features of the attended object. Here we ask whether a task-irrelevant feature, by virtue of being bound to a task-relevant feature, can also be enhanced at a task-irrelevant location. Specifically, we asked whether attending to the color of moving dots in one VF would influence the motion signal to colored moving dots in the other VF. Participants attended to either red or cyan dots, superimposed and moving in opposite directions. Critically, the color and motion of dots present in the opposite VF varied as a function of the attended dots such that they were either the same color/same direction, same color/opposite direction, opposite color/same direction, or opposite color/opposite direction as the attended dots. We found greater activity in ventral visual cortex when either the color or direction of motion matched the color or direction of motion at the attended location. Similar effects were found for direction of motion in human medial temporal/medial superior temporal cortex. Moreover, the color and motion effects did not interact in any region. Together, these results suggest that the coselection of an object's features modulates those features independently beyond the selected object.
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Increased sensitivity to perceptual interference in adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. J Int Neuropsychol Soc 2012; 18:511-20. [PMID: 22433515 PMCID: PMC4321800 DOI: 10.1017/s1355617712000033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Difficulty with selective attention is a frequent complaint of adult patients with ADHD, but selective attention tasks have not provided robust evidence of attentional dysfunction in this group. Two experiments examine this puzzle by distinguishing between failures of spatial selection and problems due to sensitivity to perceptual interference. In Experiment 1, we measured the level of perceptual interference generated by targets in crowded displays with nearby distractors by comparing luminance thresholds in both distractor-present (noise) and distractor-absent (clean) displays. ADHD and control participants had comparable thresholds for clean displays, but ADHD individuals had elevated thresholds to crowded displays. These effects could be explained in two distinct ways. Deficits may have arisen from amplified visual interference in the noise condition, or from abnormalities in top-down attentional processes that reduce visual interference. Experiment 2 adjusted for individual perceptual differences with clean and noise displays, before measuring visual interference resolution at attended versus unattended locations. ADHD and control groups had comparable interference resolution at attended locations. These results suggest that perceptual interference rather than spatial attention deficits may account for some deficits in ADHD. This putative deficit in sensory function highlights a potential early-stage perceptual processing deficit in ADHD distinct from selective attention.
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