Anticipatory alpha oscillation predicts attentional selection and hemodynamic response

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cognitive Psychology
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Covert visual attention involves understanding how prior knowledge influences neural processing and behavior.
• Investigating anticipatory neural and hemodynamic activity is crucial for understanding attention.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore how anticipatory electrophysiological and hemodynamic activation contribute to covert visual attention.
• To examine the influence of low-frequency oscillations and oxygenated hemoglobin (HbO) changes on attentional selection markers.

Main Methods:

• Simultaneous electroencephalography (EEG) and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) in humans.
• Rapid event-related design to analyze neural and hemodynamic responses.
• Examined low-frequency oscillations (alpha-band) and HbO concentration changes.

Main Results:

• Anticipating a target induced posterior alpha-band lateralization (8-12 Hz) and visual cortex HbO response lateralization.
• Cue-induced alpha lateralization positively correlated with HbO lateralization in the visual cortex.
• Alpha lateralization predicted subsequent target-evoked N2pc amplitudes, a marker of attentional selection.

Conclusions:

• Attentional selection, reflected by N2pc, is predictable via anticipation-induced alpha lateralization.
• Cue-induced alpha lateralization plays a key role in functional coupling between EEG and hemodynamic activity.
• Findings highlight the predictive power of anticipatory neural activity in visual attention.