Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 26, 2026
09:37
Measurement of Neurophysiological Signals of Ignoring and Attending Processes in Attention Control
Published on: July 5, 2015
Modulation of Visual Contrast Perception Associated With Dorsal Attention Network Connectivity Assessed by
Alfredo L Sklar1, Brian A Coffman1, Fran López-Caballero1
1Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
Human Brain Mapping
|May 25, 2026
Summary
Executive attention enhances visual cortex responses by modulating gain, particularly at specific frequencies. Magnetoencephalography revealed dorsal attention network connectivity influences primary visual cortex gain during covert attention tasks.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Visual Perception
Background:
- Executive attention modulates visual processing, but its impact on contrast response functions and network dynamics is not fully understood.
- Functional neuroimaging methods struggle to capture non-linear gain modulations and dynamic communication within visual attention networks.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how executive attention influences gain modulation in primary visual cortex (V1).
- To examine the functional connectivity between V1 and the dorsal attention network (DAN) during covert attention using magnetoencephalography (MEG).
Main Methods:
- Utilized magnetoencephalography (MEG) to record brain activity in 25 participants performing a spatial covert attention task.
- Modeled the contrast response function (CRF) using peak V1 evoked responses and analyzed alpha-band activity and spectral perturbations within DAN regions.
- Applied weighted phase-lag index to assess functional connectivity between DAN and V1.
Main Results:
- Valid cues during covert attention increased the maximum V1 response (CRF maxima) without altering saturation or baseline levels.
- Observed cue-related alpha-band desynchronization (10-12 Hz) in V1 and significant DAN-V1 functional connectivity within the same frequency range.
- DAN-V1 connectivity at 10-12 Hz was associated with increased asymptotic V1 response levels.
Conclusions:
- MEG revealed frequency-specific influence of DAN-V1 connectivity on V1 response gain during covert attention.
- Findings advance understanding of how attentional networks modulate sensory processing in the human visual system.
- Highlights MEG's utility in studying dynamic interactions between attention and sensory gain properties.
