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Updated: Jun 9, 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 neural basis of visual attention
1Department of Neurobiology and Jules Stein Eye Institute, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1763, USA. jbisley@mednet.ucla.edu
The Journal of Physiology
|September 3, 2010
Summary
Visual attention mechanisms, including overt and covert attention, guide neural processing and eye movements. This review explores neural changes in visual cortices and the parietofrontal network
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Science
- Visual Processing
Background:
- Visual attention selects relevant information from the environment.
- Overt attention involves eye movements, while covert attention enhances peripheral processing.
- Understanding attention is crucial for explaining perception and cognition.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review neural changes in visual cortices during covert attention.
- To examine the parietofrontal network's role in guiding attention.
- To discuss models of visual attention allocation.
Main Methods:
- Review of neural responses in visual cortices.
- Analysis of activity in higher cortical areas (parietofrontal network).
- Examination of models like the priority map model.
Main Results:
- Covert attention alters neural responses within visual cortices.
- The lateral intraparietal area, frontal eye field, and superior colliculus are key in attention guidance.
- The priority map model explains attention allocation in these areas.
Conclusions:
- Neural mechanisms underlying visual attention are complex, involving both visual cortices and higher-order brain networks.
- Covert attention modulates neural processing, while the parietofrontal network directs attentional resources.
- Models like the priority map provide a framework for understanding attention guidance.
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