Neural dynamics of shifting attention between perception and working- memory contents

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Gresch, Daniela; Boettcher, Sage E. P.; Gohil, Chetan; van Ede, Freek; Nobre, Anna C.
• 署名单位: University of Oxford; University of Oxford; Yale University; Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam; Yale University
• 刊物名称: PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0027-11553
• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2406061121
• 发表日期: 2024-11-19
• 关键词: rostral prefrontal cortex; orienting attention; cognitive control; locations

摘要

In everyday tasks, our focus of attention shifts seamlessly between contents in the sensory environment and internal memory representations. Yet, research has mainly considered external and internal attention in isolation. We used magnetoencephalography to compare the neural dynamics of shifting attention to visual contents within vs. between the external and internal domains. Participants performed a combined perception and working- memory task in which two sequential cues guided attention to upcoming (external) or memorized (internal) sensory information. Critically, the second cue could redirect attention to visual content within the same or alternative domain as the first cue. Multivariate decoding unveiled distinct patterns of human brain activity when shifting attention within vs. between domains. Brain activity distinguishing withinfrom between- domain shifts was broadly distributed and highly dynamic. Intriguingly, crossing domains did not invoke an additional stage prior to shifting attention. Alpha lateralization, a canonical marker of shifting spatial attention, showed no delay when cues redirected attention to the same vs. alternative domain. Instead, evidence suggested that neural states associated with a given domain linger and influence subsequent shifts of attention within vs. between domains. Our findings provide critical insights into the neural dynamics that govern attentional shifts between perception and working memory.