Abstract
Detection of unexpected, yet relevant events is essential in daily life. fMRI studies have revealed the involvement of the ventral attention network (VAN), including the temporo‐parietal junction (TPJ), in such process. In this MEG study with 34 participants (17 women), we used a bimodal (visual/auditory) attention task to determine the neuronal dynamics associated with suppression of the activity of the VAN during top‐down attention and its recruitment when information from the unattended sensory modality is involuntarily integrated. We observed an anticipatory power increase of alpha/beta oscillations (12–20 Hz, previously associated with functional inhibition) in the VAN following a cue indicating the modality to attend. Stronger VAN power increases were associated with better task performance, suggesting that the VAN suppression prevents shifting attention to distractors. Moreover, the TPJ was synchronized with the frontal eye field in that frequency band, indicating that the dorsal attention network (DAN) might participate in such suppression. Furthermore, we found a 12–20 Hz power decrease and enhanced synchronization, in both the VAN and DAN, when information between sensory modalities was congruent, suggesting an involvement of these networks when attention is involuntarily enhanced due to multisensory integration. Our results show that effective multimodal attentional allocation includes the modulation of the VAN and DAN through upper‐alpha/beta oscillations. Altogether these results indicate that the suppressing role of alpha/beta oscillations might operate beyond sensory regions.
Highlights
The capacity of allocating attention toward specific stimuli, even involuntarily, is crucial for selecting relevant information and ensuring optimal behavior in daily life
We used a bimodal attentional task that included cueing for relevant stimuli (Figure 1) to quantify the neurophysiological activity associated with active suppression of the ventral attention network (VAN) activity during top-down guided attentional allocation
The temporoparietal junction (TPJ) was synchronized with the frontal eye fields (FEF) in the same frequency band, suggesting that the dorsal attention network (DAN) might participate in the suppression of the VAN
Summary
The capacity of allocating attention toward specific stimuli, even involuntarily, is crucial for selecting relevant information and ensuring optimal behavior in daily life. The oscillatory dynamic of the DAN and sensory areas during top-down attention tasks have been studied using electroencephalography (EEG), magnetoencephalography (MEG), and transcranial stimulation (e.g., Banerjee, Snyder, Molholm, & Foxe, 2011; Doesburg, Bedo, & Ward, 2016; Horschig, Jensen, van Schouwenburg, Cools, & Bonnefond, 2014; Marshall, O'Shea, Jensen, & Bergmann, 2015; Popov, Kastner, & Jensen, 2017; Rohenkohl & Nobre, 2011; Sadaghiani et al, 2012; Sauseng, Feldheim, Freunberger, & Hummel, 2011; Siegel, Donner, Oostenveld, Fries, & Engel, 2008; Worden, Foxe, Wang, & Simpson, 2000) while, to the best of our knowledge, very few electrophysiological studies focused on the oscillatory dynamic of the VAN during involuntary allocation of attention (ElShafei, Fornoni, Masson, Bertrand, & Bidet-Caulet, 2018; Proskovec, Heinrichs-Graham, Wiesman, McDermott, & Wilson, 2018; Sauseng et al, 2005) These studies have reported theta (4–8 Hz) and alpha/beta (8–20 Hz) decreases in the DAN and VAN during orienting of attention to relevant stimuli, or a gamma (> 40 Hz) increase in the VAN during the presentation of distracting (irrelevant) sounds to be ignored. The goal of the present study is (a) to characterize the oscillatory dynamics associated with the suppression of the activity of the VAN during top-down attention and (b) to reveal for the first time the potential additional role of this network in involuntary enhancement of attention across sensory modalities
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