The orienting of attention during eye and hand movements: ERP evidence for similar frame of reference but different spatially specific modulations of tactile processing

Abstract

To investigate which frames of reference guide shifts of attention triggered during eye and hand movement preparation and the specificity of their effects on somatosensory processing, we recorded event-related brain potentials (ERPs) in a Go/Nogo task where a cue indicated to prepare an eye movement toward – or a hand movement with – the left or right hand. Before the imperative stimulus, a tactile probe was presented to one hand. Spatially selective modulations of tactile processing were more sustained for hand than eye movements, indicating stronger attentional modulations for the modality of the effector's sensory organ. Importantly, attentional modulations of somatosensory processing as well as lateralized ERP components in the preparation interval were virtually identical under uncrossed and crossed hands conditions, suggesting that shifts of attention triggered during hand and eye movement preparation are guided by a common external reference frame.