Attention induces synchronization-based response gain in steady-state visual evoked potentials

When attention is voluntarily directed to a spatial location, visual sensitivity increases at that location. What causes this improved sensitivity? Studies of single neuron spike rates in monkeys have provided mixed results in regard to whether attending to a stimulus increases its effective contras...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inNature neuroscience Vol. 10; no. 1; pp. 117 - 125
Main Authors Joon Kim, Yee, Grabowecky, Marcia, Paller, Ken A, Muthu, Krishnakumar, Suzuki, Satoru
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published New York Nature Publishing Group US 01.01.2007
Nature Publishing Group
Subjects
Adult
Animal Genetics and Genomics
Attention
Attention - physiology
Behavioral Sciences
Biological Techniques
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Biomedicine
Brain Mapping
Cortical Synchronization
Evoked Potentials, Visual - physiology
Female
Functional Laterality
Humans
Hypotheses
Male
Middle Aged
Neurobiology
Neurons
Neurosciences
Pattern Recognition, Visual - physiology
Photic Stimulation - methods
Physiological aspects
Quantitative psychology
Sensory stimulation
Time Factors
United States
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Summary:When attention is voluntarily directed to a spatial location, visual sensitivity increases at that location. What causes this improved sensitivity? Studies of single neuron spike rates in monkeys have provided mixed results in regard to whether attending to a stimulus increases its effective contrast (contrast gain) or multiplicatively boosts stimulus-driven neural responses (response or activity gain). We monitored frequency-tagged steady-state visual evoked potentials (SSVEPs) in humans and found that voluntary sustained attention multiplicatively increased stimulus-driven population electrophysiological activity. Analyses of intertrial phase coherence showed that this attentional response gain was at least partially due to the increased synchronization of SSVEPs to stimulus flicker. These results suggest that attention operates in a complementary manner at different levels; attention seems to increase single-neuron spike rates in a variety of ways, including contrast, response and activity gains, while also inducing a multiplicative boost on neural population activity via enhanced response synchronization.
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ISSN:1097-6256
1546-1726
DOI:10.1038/nn1821