Differential effects of intra-modal and cross-modal reward value on perception: ERP evidence

Vakhrushev, Roman; Cheng, Felicia Pei-Hsin; Schacht, Anne; Pooresmaeili, Arezoo

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0287900

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 112 publications

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“…Distractors that happen to signal relatively less value by contrast will tend to have a relatively lower degree of representation and be easier to ignore. The timeline for phasic modulations by VDAC differs according to whether the distractor is from the same target modality (beginning around 100 ms, for example (MacLean & Giesbrecht, 2015), but see (Tankelevitch et al, 2020)) or elsewhere (established around 200 ms) (Vakhrushev et al, 2023). Nevertheless, these reports agree on a relatively early window for VDAC influences to be observed cross-modally rather than through top-down processing (Cervantes Constantino et al, 2023).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Loss of precise auditory sampling as a sign of value-driven visual attentional capture

Harcevnicow,

Sánchez-Costa,

Carboni

et al. 2024

Preprint

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By linking with rewards, sensory signals gain salience and the ability to influence selective attention even when they have become irrelevant. The dynamics of reward-driven distraction in the brain remains unclear, particularly at the time of shaping multisensory associations. It is unknown whether reward-driven distraction by visual signals interferes with the robust ability of the brain to phase-lock to auditory modulations. In a dynamic audiovisual (AV) coherence task, we investigated how visual reward associations affect performance and modulate auditory encoding precision. Participants were presented with dual visual object streams flickering at different rates, accompanied by an amplitude-modulated sound matching one of the flicker periods, for subjects to identify the matching visual object. At the periphery, an irrelevant color feature flickers in sync with the target and may capture observers’ attention, due to a prior color-reward association training regime. Electroencephalography (EEG) recordings assessed participants’ sensitivity to the audiovisual task. The findings indicate that target discrimination was impoverished in the presence of colors that had previously been associated with reward. The phase locking of auditory responses also decreased, evidencing an attentional shift away from auditory modulation representations. Moreover, down-modulations of auditory phase locking predicted the effect size of participants’ reward-driven distraction. These findings highlight how value-driven attentional capture fundamentally alters multimodal processing in the temporal domain. They suggest that less precise neural representations of unisensory streams not connected to reward-associated cues undermine the processing of temporal coherence relationships between multisensory streams. Momentary inter-modal competition, induced by reward-driven distraction, appears consistent with the systematic exploit of gaps in active attentional sampling strategies that unfold over time.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Loss of precise auditory sampling as a sign of value-driven visual attentional capture

Harcevnicow,

Sánchez-Costa,

Carboni

et al. 2024

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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Interaction of spatial attention and the associated reward value of audiovisual objects

Vakhrushev,

Pooresmaeili

2024

Cortex

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Distinct Patterns of Connectivity between Brain Regions Underlie the Intra-Modal and Cross-Modal Value-Driven Modulations of the Visual Cortex

Antono,

Dang,

Auksztulewicz

et al. 2023

J. Neurosci.

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Past reward associations may be signalled from different sensory modalities; however, it remains unclear how different types of reward-associated stimuli modulate sensory perception. In this human fMRI study (female and male participants), a visual target was simultaneously presented with either an intra- (visual) or a cross-modal (auditory) cue that was previously associated with rewards. We hypothesized that depending on the sensory modality of the cues, distinct neural mechanisms underlie the value-driven modulation of visual processing. Using a multivariate approach, we confirmed that reward-associated cues enhanced the target representation in early visual areas and identified the brain valuation regions. Then, using an effective connectivity analysis, we tested three possible patterns of connectivity that could underlie the modulation of the visual cortex: a direct pathway from the frontal valuation areas to the visual areas, a mediated pathway through the attention-related areas, and a mediated pathway that additionally involved sensory association areas. We found evidence for the third model demonstrating that the reward-related information in both sensory modalities is communicated across the valuation and attention-related brain regions. Additionally, the superior temporal areas were recruited when reward was cued cross-modally. The strongest dissociation between the intra- and cross-modal reward-driven effects was observed at the level of the feedforward and feedback connections of the visual cortex estimated from the winning model. These results suggest that in the presence of previously rewarded stimuli from different sensory modalities, a combination of domain-general and domain-specific mechanisms are recruited across the brain to adjust the visual perception.Significance StatementReward has a profound effect on perception, but it is not known whether shared or disparate mechanisms underlie the reward-driven effects across sensory modalities. In this human fMRI study, we examined the reward-driven modulation of the visual cortex by visual (intra-modal) and auditory (cross-modal) reward-associated cues. Using a model-based approach to identify the most plausible pattern of inter-regional effective connectivity, we found that higher-order areas involved in the valuation and attentional processing were recruited by both types of rewards. However, the pattern of connectivity between these areas and the early visual cortex was distinct between the intra- and cross-modal rewards. This evidence suggests that to effectively adapt to the environment, reward signals may recruit both domain-general and domain-specific mechanisms.

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Differential effects of intra-modal and cross-modal reward value on perception: ERP evidence

Cited by 3 publications

References 112 publications

Loss of precise auditory sampling as a sign of value-driven visual attentional capture

Loss of precise auditory sampling as a sign of value-driven visual attentional capture

Interaction of spatial attention and the associated reward value of audiovisual objects

Distinct Patterns of Connectivity between Brain Regions Underlie the Intra-Modal and Cross-Modal Value-Driven Modulations of the Visual Cortex

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