Control of goal-directed and stimulus-driven attention in the brain

Abstract

We review evidence for partially segregated networks of brain areas that carry out different attentional functions. One system, which includes parts of the intraparietal cortex and superior frontal cortex, is involved in preparing and applying goal-directed (top-down) selection for stimuli and responses. This system is also modulated by the detection of stimuli. The other system, which includes the temporoparietal cortex and inferior frontal cortex, and is largely lateralized to the right hemisphere, is not involved in top-down selection. Instead, this system is specialized for the detection of behaviourally relevant stimuli, particularly when they are salient or unexpected. This ventral frontoparietal network works as a 'circuit breaker' for the dorsal system, directing attention to salient events. Both attentional systems interact during normal vision, and both are disrupted in unilateral spatial neglect.

Autonomic and brain responses associated with empathy deficits in autism spectrum disorder

“…Although much attention has been devoted to general visual deficits in ASD (Behrmann, et al, 2006; Dakin and Frith, 2005; Kaiser, et al, 2010), little is known about the involvement of EBA in ASD. The prefrontal cortex (PFC), especially the lateral PFC (LPFC), has been associated with executive control and information integration during socio-emotional processing and is a domain-general area (Corbetta and Shulman, 2002; Levy and Wagner, 2011; Romanski, 2007). Deficits in LPFC responses have been found in individuals with ASD (Kaiser, et al, 2010; Shafritz, et al, 2008; Silk, et al, 2006), supporting the hypothesis that ASD individuals have difficulty in integrating information from different modalities (Happe and Frith, 2006).…”

Auditory and visual connectivity gradients in frontoparietal cortex

“…Frontoparietal brain regions are recruited when attention is drawn to sensory stimuli [Carlson et al, 1998; Corbetta and Shulman, 2008; Hopfinger et al, 2000; Kastner et al, 1999; Shomstein and Yantis, 2006; Yantis et al, 2002]. Specifically, dorsal frontoparietal activity is increased during tasks that require attentional orienting to visual stimuli and locations [Corbetta et al, 2002]. Several studies have shown the existence of retinotopic maps in both dorsal frontal (frontal eye fields [FEF]) and dorsal parietal regions [superior parietal lobe (SPL); Moore and Armstrong, 2003; Ruff et al, 2008; Saygin and Sereno, 2008].…”

A meta‐analysis of functional magnetic resonance imaging studies of eye movements and visual word reading

“…For instance, subjects make visually guided saccades from a central fixation point toward a peripheral target, such as a dot or a geometric shape, in each trial of the prosaccade task (Hallett, 1978; Hutton, 2010), which is a popular paradigm to explore the neural and cognitive mechanisms of eye movements. Previous neuroimaging studies have shown that frontoparietal attentional regions play a critical role in eye movements (Corbetta & Shulman, 2002; Simon, Mangin, Cohen, Le Bihan, & Dehaene, 2002), consistent with their function for spatial representation and spatial updating (Merriam, Genovese, & Colby, 2003; Pertzov, Avidan, & Zohary, 2011; Silver & Kastner, 2009). In a recent meta‐analysis, Jamadar, Fielding, and Egan (2013) have used the activation likelihood estimation method (ALE; Turkeltaub et al., 2012; Eickhoff et al., 2009; Eickhoff, Bzdok, Laird, Kurth, & Fox, 2012) to compare the neural networks of prosaccades and antisaccades.…”

“…These findings are basically consistent with the known organization of brain function. The superior part of the PreCG, the FEF, is related to goal‐directed saccades and spatial processing (Corbetta & Shulman, 2002), whereas, the inferior part of the PreCG, the IFG, is related to the identification of objects such as words and faces (McDermott, Buckner, Petersen, Kelley, & Sanders, 1999). While the SPL is related to spatial processing, such as the formation of spatial maps for the control of eye movements (Graziano & Gross, 1998), the IPL serves as an orthography‐phonology transmitter in the word reading and auditory‐motor interface in language processing (Hickok & Poeppel, 2000).…”