Sources and topography of supramodal effects of spatial attention in ERP

This study aimed to finding modality-independent event-related potentials (ERP) modulations related to spatial attention by minimising several possible methodological constrains which may account for the rareness of this finding in past spatial attention ERP research. ERP were recorded while subjects performed a shifting spatial attention task of either auditory, visual or mixed (both auditory and visual) modality. Task requirements and stimulation devices were identical for either modality. Stimuli could appear (80%, valid trials) or not (invalid trials) at predicted locations, and subjects had to perform a speeded response to every stimulus. Reaction time benefits were found for valid trials. Instead of the usually found enhancement of sensory-evoked modality-specific components for valid trials, ERP showed modality-independent modulations as a function of attention. They consisted of a fronto-central activity starting 240 ms after stimulus onset and originated in the anterior cingulate gyrus, followed 40 ms later by a bilateral parietal cortex activation. These processes would be reflecting the activity, respectively, of the anterior and posterior attention systems postulated in Posner's model (Posner and Peterson 1990), which showed a higher degree of participation during invalid trials. P300-like processes were also observed for invalid trials. These results demonstrate that supramodal effects of spatial attention of ERP can be obtained. Furthermore, they extend Posner's model by indicating the timings of implication of the attention subsystems.