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Parietal structure and function explain human variation in working memory biases of visual attention
David Soto1, Pia Rotshtein2, Ryota Kanai3
1Imperial College London, Division of Brain Sciences, London, UK.
Neuroimage
|November 30, 2013
Summary
Human attention is biased by working memory (WM) contents. Brain structure and function in the posterior parietal cortex (PPC) explain individual differences in these WM-biases, influencing visual attention.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Psychology
Background:
- Human attention is often influenced by the contents of working memory (WM).
- These working memory biases can either benefit target selection or incur costs from distracters.
- Individual differences in these biases suggest underlying neural variations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the neural basis of individual differences in working memory (WM) biases.
- To determine if WM biases reflect attentional capture or cognitive control mechanisms.
- To link structural and functional brain variations to WM-related attentional costs and benefits.
Main Methods:
- Utilized functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and structural MRI.
- Examined correlations between brain structure/function and behavioral measures of WM biases.
- Assessed gray matter volume and functional activity in specific brain regions.
Main Results:
- Gray matter volume in the left superior posterior parietal cortex (PPC) correlated with WM benefits (facilitating selection).
- Gray matter volume in the left inferior PPC (anterior IPS) correlated with overcoming interference from WM-matching distracters.
- Functional activity in the left PPC predicted the magnitude of WM-related attentional costs.
Conclusions:
- Both the structure and function of the left posterior parietal cortex (PPC) are crucial for mediating working memory (WM) biases in human visual attention.
- Individual variations in WM biases are linked to distinct neural mechanisms within the PPC, related to both cognitive control and attentional capture.
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