Decoding covert spatial attention using electrocorticographic (ECoG) signals in humans

Abstract

This study shows that electrocorticographic (ECoG) signals recorded from the surface of the brain provide detailed information about shifting of visual attention and its directional orientation in humans. ECoG allows for the identification of the cortical areas and time periods that hold the most information about covert attentional shifts. Our results suggest a transient distributed fronto-parietal mechanism for orienting of attention that is represented by different physiological processes. This neural mechanism encodes not only whether or not a subject shifts their attention to a location, but also the locus of attention. This work contributes to our understanding of the electrophysiological representation of attention in humans. It may also eventually lead to brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) that optimize user interaction with their surroundings or that allow people to communicate choices simply by shifting attention to them.

Cortex-based inter-subject analysis of iEEG and fMRI data sets: Application to sustained task-related BOLD and gamma responses

“…Therefore, our approach for electrode projection, which is identical to that presented by Hermes and colleagues (Hermes et al, 2010) for the special case of electrode strips, could be not as accurate as in previous works based on more advanced and precise methods (see, e. g., Dalal et al, 2008;Dykstra et al, 2012;Hermes et al, 2010;Swann et al, 2009;Tertel et al, 2011). Finally, while the cortical surface of the brain is the usual and ideal target space of fMRI analyses (see, e. g., Gunduz et al, 2012;Miller et al, 2007b), and projecting the iEEG electrodes on the cortical surface permits the CBA application to correct the channel positions on the group average cortical space, it should be also remarked that whenever the electrodes are not placed accurately along a sulcus, as could be the cases for electrode grids or arrays, the possible bias for the projection on the cortical surface is potentially higher than for the projection on the envelope surface of the brain, which can be seen as a less biased solution for electrode grids or arrays.…”

Changes in EEG spectral characteristics in the course of neurofeedback training

“…including those responsible for impressing and retriev ing memory engrams [22,34,38,[42][43][44]. In view of this, characteristics of the classical EEG frequency range seem to be the most promising in the general NFB case.…”

Proceedings of the Third International Workshop on Advances in Electrocorticography

“…Gunduz et al [71, 72] showed that ECoG could identify cortical areas and time periods that hold the most information about covert attentional shifts. ECoG was recorded when subjects covertly attended to a spatial location and responded to contrast changes in the presence of distractors in a cueing task.…”