Posterior Intraparietal Sulcus Mediates Detection of Salient Stimuli Outside the Endogenous Focus of Attention

• Published in: Cerebral cortex (New York, N.Y. 1991) Vol. 32; no. 7; pp. 1455 - 1469
• Main Authors: Jamoulle, Tarik, Ran, Qian, Meersmans, Karen, Schaeverbeke, Jolien, Dupont, Patrick, Vandenberghe, Rik
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Oxford University Press 30.03.2022
• Subjects: Attention - physiology; Brain Mapping - methods; Cerebral Cortex - physiology; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Original; Parietal Lobe - physiology; visual attention; exogenous capture; intraparietal sulcus; endogenous selection; cytoarchitectonics
• ISSN: 1047-3211; 1460-2199; 1460-2199
• DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhab299

Abstract Visual consciousness is shaped by the interplay between endogenous selection and exogenous capture. If stimulus saliency is aligned with a subject’s attentional priorities, endogenous selection will be facilitated. In case of a misalignment, endogenous selection may be compromised as attentional capture is a strong and automatic process. We manipulated task-congruent versus -incongruent saliency in a functional magnetic resonance imaging change-detection task and analyzed brain activity patterns in the cortex surrounding the intraparietal sulcus (IPS) within the Julich-Brain probabilistic cytoarchitectonic mapping reference frame. We predicted that exogenous effects would be seen mainly in the posterior regions of the IPS (hIP4–hIP7–hIP8), whereas a conflict between endogenous and exogenous orienting would elicit activity from more anterior cytoarchitectonic areas (hIP1–hIP2–hIP3). Contrary to our hypothesis, a conflict between endogenous and exogenous orienting had an effect early in the IPS (mainly in hIP7 and hIP8). This is strong evidence for an endogenous component in hIP7/8 responses to salient stimuli beyond effects of attentional bottom-up sweep. Our results suggest that hIP7 and hIP8 are implicated in the individuation of attended locations based on saliency as well as endogenous instructions.