FMRI signs of involuntary and voluntary auditory attention

Abstract

Event Abstract Back to Event fMRI signs of involuntary and voluntary auditory attention Kimmo A. Alho1* 1 Department of Psychology,Advanced Magnetic Imaging Centre, Helsinki University of Technology, Finland The auditory-cortex component of mismatch negativity (MMN) event-related brain potential to deviant auditory events is evidently generated by pre-attentive change detection. The MMN component generated in the frontal cortex, in turn, has been associated with subsequent initiation of involuntary attention. An MMN to slightly deviant events is followed by a small positive P3a component, generated mainly in the auditory cortex. A larger P3a to widely deviant events, such as novel environmental sounds in a stream of tones, appears to get additional contributions from parietal and prefrontal cortices. These P3a responses have been related to actual switching of attention to and evaluation of the eliciting event. This has been supported by a decrease in performance speed or accuracy, or both, caused by task-irrelevant deviant auditory events eliciting MMN and P3a. Our recent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies indicate that such distracting events are followed by enhanced activity in auditory, parietal, and prefrontal cortical areas. These areas partly overlap with those showing activity enhancements related to voluntary orienting and maintenance of attention and to subsequent task-related processes. Perhaps deviant auditory events distract performance in an attention demanding task due to this overlap. However, the overlap might be also due to attempts to fight against distraction and concentrate on task performance leading to enhanced task-related brain activity after a distracting auditory event. Whichever is the case, enhanced activity in the auditory, parietal and prefrontal cortices following deviant auditory events may contribute to MMN and P3a responses to these events. Conference: MMN 09 Fifth Conference on Mismatch Negativity (MMN) and its Clinical and Scientific Applications, Budapest, Hungary, 4 Apr - 7 Apr, 2009. Presentation Type: Oral Presentation Topic: Symposium 6: Attention and consciousness Citation: Alho KA (2009). fMRI signs of involuntary and voluntary auditory attention. Conference Abstract: MMN 09 Fifth Conference on Mismatch Negativity (MMN) and its Clinical and Scientific Applications. doi: 10.3389/conf.neuro.09.2009.05.087 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 25 Mar 2009; Published Online: 25 Mar 2009. * Correspondence: Kimmo A Alho, Department of Psychology,Advanced Magnetic Imaging Centre, Helsinki University of Technology, Helsinki,Espoo, Finland, kimmo.alho@helsinki.fi Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Kimmo A Alho Google Kimmo A Alho Google Scholar Kimmo A Alho PubMed Kimmo A Alho Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.