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A Networked Desktop Virtual Reality Setup for Decision Science and Navigation Experiments with Multiple Participants
Published on: August 26, 2018
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Rhythmic sampling of multiple decision alternatives in the human brain.
Marcus Siems1, Yinan Cao2, Maryam Tohidi-Moghaddam2
1Department of Neurophysiology and Pathophysiology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany. m.siems@uke.de.
Nature Communications
|February 11, 2026
Summary
Decision-making involves attention dynamics. This study reveals rhythmic fluctuations in covert attention strength, aiding information sampling and processing during choices.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Neuroscience of Decision-Making
- Attention Research
Background:
- Decision-making relies on sequentially sampling information.
- The internal dynamics of selective attention during decision-making are not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the spontaneous dynamics of covert attention during a perceptual choice task.
- To understand how the locus and strength of attention change over time.
Main Methods:
- Used magnetoencephalography (MEG) recordings in human participants.
- Employed neural decoding techniques to track attentional dynamics.
- Analyzed data from a three-alternative perceptual choice task.
Main Results:
- Covert attention strength exhibited rhythmic fluctuations around 11 Hz.
- Attention shifts between alternatives occurred at the trough of these oscillations, facilitating comparisons.
- Peak attention processing occurred at the peak of the oscillation, deepening focus on the current alternative.
Conclusions:
- Intrinsic attentional oscillations are proposed as a fundamental mechanism for flexible information sampling in decision-making.
- These oscillations regulate the dynamic allocation and processing of attention across alternatives.
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