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Updated: Aug 8, 2026

Co-analysis of Brain Structure and Function using fMRI and Diffusion-weighted Imaging
Published on: November 8, 2012
Feature-based attention in visual cortex
John H R Maunsell1, Stefan Treue
1HHMI and Baylor College of Medicine, Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza S-603, Houston, TX 77030, USA. maunsell@bcm.edu
Abstract:
Although most studies of visual attention have examined the effects of shifting attention between different locations in the visual field, attention can also be directed to particular visual features, such as a color, orientation or a direction of motion. Single-unit studies have shown that attention to a feature modulates neuronal signals in a range of areas in monkey visual cortex. The location-independent property of feature-based attention makes it particularly well suited to modify selectively the neural representations of stimuli or parts within complex visual scenes that match the currently attended feature. This review is part of the TINS special issue on The Neural Substrates of Cognition.
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