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Updated: Jun 20, 2026
06:46
Investigating the Deployment of Visual Attention Before Accurate and Averaging Saccades via Eye Tracking and Assessment of Visual Sensitivity
Published on: March 18, 2019
The role of parietal cortex during sustained visual spatial attention
Preston P Thakral1, Scott D Slotnick
1Department of Psychology, Boston College, McGuinn Hall, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467, USA. thakralp@bc.edu
Brain Research
|September 22, 2009
Summary
This fMRI study identified brain regions for sustained attention. Findings suggest the right intraparietal sulcus and middle frontal gyrus are key for maintaining focus.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Neuroimaging
Background:
- Spatial attention control involves prefrontal and parietal cortices.
- Shifting attention is linked to the superior parietal lobule.
- Neural basis of sustained attention remains unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- Identify generalized control regions for sustained attention.
- Utilize functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).
- Employ two distinct experimental protocols (motion and flicker).
Main Methods:
- Used fMRI to monitor brain activity during attention tasks.
- Implemented motion and flicker protocols with alternating visual stimuli.
- Applied region-of-interest and whole-brain conjunction analyses.
Main Results:
- Motion protocol showed attention effects in motion processing region MT+.
- Conjunction analysis revealed common sustained attention regions: right intraparietal sulcus, middle frontal gyrus, superior temporal gyrus, insula, and left cerebellum.
- Flicker protocol did not yield significant attention effects.
Conclusions:
- Sustained attention involves specific neural networks distinct from attention shifting.
- Parietal cortex exhibits functional-anatomic organization for attention control.
- Lateral parietal regions may mediate sustained attention, contrasting with superior regions for attention shifts.
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