Neural correlates of visual dimension weighting

Abstract

In a series of functional magnetic resonance experiments, we have investigated the neural basis of attentional dimension weighting in crossdimensional singleton search. Previous studies led to the characterization of a frontoposterior network of brain areas, which in part overlaps with the frontoparietal network supporting overt and covert attention shifts, but also involves anterior prefrontal components, which are likely to be involved in the detection of change and the initiation and control of attention shifts. Although this frontoposterior network is characterized by transient dimension change-related activation, we present new evidence that the effect of attentional weighting of a target-defining dimension is a modulation of the visual input areas processing the attended dimension.

Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG grant FOR 309/3-1). We thank two anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments.

Notes

¹The term hMT+ indicates that the human activation data may represent area MT or other motion processing areas, such as MST, hence MT+.