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Updated: May 31, 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
Spatiotopic coding of BOLD signal in human visual cortex depends on spatial attention
Sofia Crespi1, Laura Biagi, Giovanni d'Avossa
1Department of Psychology, Università Degli Studi di Firenze, Florence, Italy.
Plos One
|July 14, 2011
Summary
Spatial attention influences visual processing, shifting neural maps from retinotopic to spatiotopic coordinates. This demonstrates how attention shapes our perception of a stable visual world.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Science
- Visual Perception
Background:
- The neural basis for a stable visual experience is not fully understood.
- Spatiotopic neural maps, responding to external space rather than retinal position, are a proposed mechanism but lack consistent evidence.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether neural maps in visual cortex are retinotopic or spatiotopic.
- To determine the role of spatial attention in mediating spatiotopic selectivity.
Main Methods:
- Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to measure brain activity in human subjects.
- Subjects performed demanding attentional tasks or were under more unconstrained viewing conditions.
Main Results:
- Under demanding attention, visual responses to irrelevant stimuli were retinotopically tuned.
- In unconstrained conditions, BOLD responses in visual areas (MT, MST, LO, V6) showed spatiotopic selectivity.
- This spatiotopic tuning aligned with external spatial coordinates.
Conclusions:
- Spatial attention plays a crucial role in establishing spatiotopic selectivity in visual cortex.
- Attention may be key to constructing the perception of a stable visual world.
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