Neural correlates of object-based attentional selection in human cortex

作者：Hou Youyang; Liu Taosheng^*

来源：Neuropsychologia, 2012, 50(12): 2916-2925.

DOI：10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2012.08.022

• Attention
• fMRI
• Object-based
• Pattern classification
• Top-down control

Humans can can attend to different objects independent of their spatial locations. While selecting an object has been shown to modulate object processing in high-level visual areas in occipitotemporal cortex, where/how behavioral importance (i.e., priority) for objects is represented is unknown. Here we examined the patterns of distributed neural activity during an object-based selection task. We measured brain activity with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), while participants viewed two superimposed, dynamic objects (left- and right-pointing triangles) and were cued to attend to one of the triangle objects. Enhanced fMRI response was observed for the attention conditions compared to a neutral condition, but no significant difference was found in overall response amplitude between two attention conditions. By using multi-voxel pattern classification (MVPC), however, we were able to distinguish the neural patterns associated with attention to different objects in early visual cortex (V1 to hMT+) and lateral occipital complex (LOC). Furthermore, distinct multi-voxel patterns were also observed in frontal and parietal areas. Our results demonstrate that object-based attention has a widespread modulation effect along the visual hierarchy and suggest that object-specific priority information is represented by patterned neural activity in the dorsal frontoparietal network.

• 出版日期2012-10