Covert orienting of attention and overt eye movements activate identical brain regions.

Full Abstract

This study investigated the anatomical relationship between covert and overt shifts of attention. Previous studies have found that the areas of the brain activated by covert and overt shifts of attention are very similar. However, despite a general agreement between studies there are a few issues that merit closer inspection. Primarily, the tasks aiming to produce covert or overt shifts of attention were not always comparable. Secondly, the previous studies disagreed on whether greater neural activity is elicited by covert shifts or overt shifts of attention. Thirdly, the previous studies differed on whether the shifts of attention were exogenously or endogenously driven. Finally, the statistical analyses used by all previous studies failed to account for between subject variability. The present study was designed to address all these issues. Twelve healthy subjects performed either covert or overt shifts of attention while the functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) signal was continuously measured. In line with the previous studies, the present study showed a virtually complete overlap between areas of the brain recruited during covert shifts of attention and areas of the brain recruited during overt shifts of attention. Furthermore, using endogenously driven shifts of attention this study found that overt shifts of attention resulted in higher levels of activation in the brain than covert shifts of attention. The results of this study provide support for the premotor theory of attention that posits that the attentional and motor systems are the result of neural activation in the same areas of the brain.

Author information

Author/s: de Haan, Bianca (B); Morgan, Paul S (PS); Rorden, Chris (C);

Affiliation: Section Neuropsychology, Center of Neurology, Hertie-Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tübingen, Hoppe-Seyler-Strasse 3, D-72076 Tübingen, Germany. bianca.de-haan(-atsign-)klinikum.uni-tuebingen.de

Grants: R01 NS054266 (Agency:NINDS NIH HHS) ; R01 NS054266-01A1 (Agency:NINDS NIH HHS) ; R01 NS054266-03 (Agency:NINDS NIH HHS)

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

Journal: Brain research (Brain Res), published in Netherlands. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2008-Apr; vol 1204 (issue ) : pp 102-11

Dates: Created 2008/04/11; Completed 2008/07/22; Revised 2009/04/15;

PMID: 18329633, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 4/16/2009, IMS Date: )

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

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