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Functional MRI reveals spatially specific attentional modulation in human primary visual cortex

D C Somers1, A M Dale, A E Seiffert

  • 1Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA. somers@psyche.mit.edu

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
|February 17, 1999
PubMed
Summary

Selective visual attention significantly impacts visual processing, even in early brain regions. This study shows attention modulates neural activity in the striate visual cortex (V1), similar to later areas, using object-based attention mechanisms.

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Cognitive Neuroscience
  • Visual Perception

Background:

  • Selective visual attention influences perceptual processing.
  • Attention's modulation of extrastriate visual cortex is accepted.
  • Attention's role in the striate visual cortex (V1) is debated.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate attentional modulation in the human striate visual cortex (V1).
  • To determine if attention influences V1 activity similarly to extrastriate areas.
  • To characterize the spatial nature of attentional modulation in V1.

Main Methods:

  • Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) at 3 Tesla.
  • Studying humans performing attentionally demanding visual discriminations.
  • Functional mapping of cortical retinotopy.

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Main Results:

  • Robust attentional modulations observed in both striate (V1) and extrastriate visual cortex.
  • Modulations were spatially specific, enhancing attended stimuli and suppressing unattended ones.
  • Spatial pattern suggests object-based attention, not a simple spotlight.

Conclusions:

  • Neural processing in V1 is not solely driven by sensory input.
  • V1 is strongly and specifically influenced by selective visual attention.
  • Attention's effects in V1 are comparable to those in extrastriate regions.