Orienting attention to locations in perceptual versus mental representations

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Neuroscience
• Neuroimaging
• Spatial Cognition

Background:

• Spatial attention is critical for navigating the environment and processing information.
• Neural networks underlying spatial attention have been extensively studied using neuroimaging.
• Attention can be directed towards external stimuli or internal mental representations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify the neural systems for directing attention to mental representations.
• To compare these systems with those directing attention to external spatial locations.
• To elucidate the distinct and overlapping neural substrates of internal and external spatial attention.

Main Methods:

• Event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was employed.
• Participants directed attention to locations in external space.
• Participants also directed attention to locations within mental representations.

Main Results:

• Extensively overlapping neural networks support both internal and external spatial attention.
• A specific region in the right parietal cortex selectively engages in external spatial attention.
• Several frontal lobe regions selectively engage in attention to mental representations.

Conclusions:

• Spatial attention to external and internal representations shares significant neural resources.
• Specialized neural mechanisms exist for orienting attention within mental representations (frontal lobe) and to external space (right parietal cortex).
• These findings advance our understanding of the neural basis of spatial cognition and attention.