Inhibition of return and the human frontal eye fields

Abstract

Inhibition of return (IOR) is a bias against reorienting attention to a previously cued location. In this study, using single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), we show that the human frontal eye fields (FEF) play a crucial role in the generation of IOR. When TMS was applied over the right FEF at a time interval after a visual cue but shortly before the target, IOR was modulated in the hemifield ipsilateral to the TMS such that responses to a previously cued target were no longer slower than responses to uncued targets. Control TMS over the superior parietal lobule, as well as TMS of the FEF shortly after the cue but well before the target, had no influence on IOR. We further show that the FEF is involved with visual selection as responses to targets appearing contralateral to the TMS of the FEF, but not the control site, were delayed. These results suggest that the FEF produces IOR by biasing attention and eye movements away from a previously attended location and facilitating target detection at novel locations.

An Event-Related Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study of Voluntary and Stimulus-Driven Orienting of Attention

“…This reprogramming may be necessary at invalidly cued locations after an endogenous cue, because a link has been established with the cued location and at cued locations at long SOAs after an exogenous cue, because IOR may have prevented or weakened the formation of a link to the exogenously cued location. This idea is consistent with previously noted TMS work in the FEF (Ro et al, 2003). Conversely, regions in the TPJ and VFC contain multimodal sensory responses that are spatially nonselective (Corbetta et al, 2000;Downar et al, 2000;Macaluso et al, 2002) and are not modulated by response factors (Braver et al, 2001;Astafiev et al, 2004).…”

“…IOR is an inhibitory mechanism that prevents the reexploration of a previously visually cued location. A recent transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) study showed that stimulation over the human FEF, but not IPS, disrupts the formation of IOR in the ipsilateral visual field (Ro et al, 2003).…”

Inhibition of return in single and dual tasks: Examining saccadic, keypress, and pointing responses

“…Note that the neural locus of IOR phenomena is most likely not limited to only the SC (see, e.g., Dorris et al, 2002;Ro, Farnè, & Chang, 2003). One common example is that IOR can inhibit locations in space-fixed coordinates rather than retinotopic coordinates-a feature not congruent with the retinotopic maps observed in the SC.…”

Evidence for an attentional component in saccadic inhibition of return

“…Ignashchenkova et al 2004). Temporarily disrupting neuronal activity in one such interface between attention and eye movements, the frontal eye Weld (FEF), eliminated IOR with manual responses (Ro et al 2003).…”