Active attention modulates passive attention-related neural responses to sudden somatosensory input against a silent background.

Full Abstract

To reveal whether active attention modulates neuronal responses related to passive attention to somatosensory stimuli presented suddenly against a silent background, we examined the passive attention-related change in amplitude of the event-related brain potentials (ERPs), caused by temporal infrequency of stimuli. Eighteen healthy subjects performed passive and active attention tasks in two stimulus conditions. In the oddball condition, frequent (80%, standard) and infrequent (20%, deviant) electrical stimuli were randomly delivered to the second and third digits of the left hand. In the deviant-alone condition, the deviant stimulus (deviant-alone stimulus) was delivered with the same timing and sequence as in the oddball condition without standard stimuli. The P100, N140, and P200 elicited by the deviant-alone stimulus were enhanced in amplitude compared to those evoked by the oddball deviant stimulus in both the active and passive tasks. Moreover, active attention increased the enhancement of P100 and N140. The difference waveform (deviant-alone minus oddball deviant) provided similar findings. In conclusion, active attention enhances neural responses related to passive shifts of attention to somatosensory signals suddenly presented against a silent background. The results indicate that top-down signals for detecting target stimuli interact with passive shifts of attention caused by bottom-up signals.

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Author information

Author/s: Kida, Tetsuo (T); Wasaka, Toshiaki (T); Nakata, Hiroki (H); Akatsuka, Kosuke (K); Kakigi, Ryusuke (R);

Affiliation: Department of Integrative Physiology, National Institute for Physiological Sciences, Myodaiji, Okazaki, Japan. nikita(-atsign-)nips.ac.jp

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article

Journal: Experimental brain research. Experimentelle Hirnforschung. Expérimentation cérébrale (Exp Brain Res), published in Germany. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2006-Nov; vol 175 (issue 4) : pp 609-17

Dates: Created 2006/11/08; Completed 2007/08/24; Revised 2008/02/15;

PMID: 16802146, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 12/26/2008)

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Action Potentials - physiology
Adult
Attention - physiology
Cerebral Cortex - physiology
Electric Stimulation
Electroencephalography - instrumentation; methods
Electrooculography
Evoked Potentials - physiology

Evoked Potentials - physiology
Female
Humans
Male
Neurons - physiology
Neuropsychological Tests
Reaction Time - physiology
Sensory Thresholds - physiology

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