Neurophysiological indicators of internal attention: An electroencephalography–eye‐tracking coregistration study

Majed, Simon; Annerer‐Walcher, Sonja; Körner, Christof; Rominger, Christian; Kober, Silvia Erika; Fink, Andréas; Benedek, Mathias

doi:10.1002/brb3.1790

Cited by 37 publications

(59 citation statements)

References 94 publications

(187 reference statements)

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“…A few studies have begun to address this question by combining neurophysiological methods and eye tracking in the investigation of internal/external attention. In a recent EEG-eye tracking coregistration study (Ceh et al, 2020) that employed the same paradigm as used in Benedek et al (2017), we replicated the finding that IDC is associated with relatively higher posterior alpha power (cf. Benedek et al, 2011Benedek et al, , 2014, and, amongst others, with higher PD.…”

Section: The Relationship Between Eye Behavior and Brain Activation Isupporting

confidence: 70%

“…Studies comparing eye behavior between EDC and IDC observed differences in a large range of oculometric parameters (Annerer-Walcher et al, 2018;Benedek et al, 2017;Ceh et al, 2020;Walcher et al, 2017). Some of these parameters showed a very uniform pattern, even across different tasks (e.g.…”

Section: Eye-tracking Correlates Of Internal Cognitionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We have taken a first step in investigating the connection between EEG alpha activity and eye behavior in a previous study (Ceh et al, 2020). In the present study, using the same paradigm, we examined how brain activity as measured by functional MRI and eye behavior relate to each other in the context of IDC vs. EDC: First, we tested whether brain activation patterns and eye behavior differences occur between states of EDC vs. IDC by replicating a well-established manipulation of internal attentional demands.…”

Section: Aims Of This Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Murphy et al, 2018C. Murphy et al, , 2019, EEG (Benedek et al, 2011(Benedek et al, , 2014Ceh et al, 2020;Cooper et al, 2003;Ray & Cole, 1985;Vortmann et al, 2019) and eye-tracking (Annerer-Walcher et al, 2018;Benedek et al, 2017;Salvi et al, 2015;Smallwood et al, 2011;Walcher et al, 2017). So far, however, available evidence comes mostly from work that focused on one neurophysiological parameter at a time, which limits our insight on how these parameters relate to each other.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…So far, however, available evidence comes mostly from work that focused on one neurophysiological parameter at a time, which limits our insight on how these parameters relate to each other. Therefore, in the present work we employed fMRI-eye-tracking coregistration to measure brain activation and eye behavior concurrently during an established paradigm that manipulates internal/external attention demands (Benedek et al, 2011(Benedek et al, , 2016(Benedek et al, , 2017Ceh et al, 2020). This study pursues two main goals: First, we tested the robustness of previously reported attention effects on brain activation (and eye behavior), while controlling brain activation effects for attention-related fluctuations in eye behavior.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Neurophysiological indicators of internal attention: an fMRI-eye-tracking co-registration study [preprint]

Majed¹,

Annerer‐Walcher²,

Koschutnig³

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Many goal-directed, as well as spontaneous everyday activities (e.g., planning, mind-wandering), rely on an internal focus of attention. In this fMRI–eye-tracking coregistration study, we investigated brain mechanisms and eye behavior related to internally versus externally directed cognition. Building on an established paradigm, we manipulated internal attention demands within tasks utilizing conditional stimulus masking. Internally directed cognition involved bilateral activation of the lingual gyrus and inferior parietal lobe areas as well as wide-spread deactivation of visual networks. Moreover, internally directed cognition was related to greater pupil diameter, pupil diameter variance, blink duration, fixation disparity variance, and smaller amounts of microsaccades. FMRI–eye-tracking covariation analyses further revealed that larger pupil diameter was related to increased activation of basal ganglia and lingual gyrus. It can be concluded that internally and externally directed cognition are characterized by distinct neurophysiological signatures. The observed neurophysiological differences indicate that internally directed cognition is associated with reduced processing of task-irrelevant information and increased mental load. These findings shed further light on the interplay between neural and perceptual mechanisms contributing to an internal focus of attention.

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Section: The Relationship Between Eye Behavior and Brain Activation Isupporting

confidence: 70%

Section: Eye-tracking Correlates Of Internal Cognitionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Aims Of This Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Neurophysiological indicators of internal attention: an fMRI-eye-tracking co-registration study [preprint]

Majed¹,

Annerer‐Walcher²,

Koschutnig³

et al. 2020

Preprint

Self Cite

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Penalized canonical correlation analysis reveals a relationship between temperament traits and brain oscillations during mind wandering

Heinilä,

Hyvärinen,

Parkkonen

et al. 2024

Brain and Behavior

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IntroductionThere has been a growing interest in studying brain activity under naturalistic conditions. However, the relationship between individual differences in ongoing brain activity and psychological characteristics is not well understood. We investigated this connection, focusing on the association between oscillatory activity in the brain and individually characteristic dispositional traits. Given the variability of unconstrained resting states among individuals, we devised a paradigm that could harmonize the state of mind across all participants.MethodsWe constructed task contrasts that included focused attention (FA), self‐centered future planning, and rumination on anxious thoughts triggered by visual imagery. Magnetoencephalography was recorded from 28 participants under these 3 conditions for a duration of 16 min. The oscillatory power in the alpha and beta bands was converted into spatial contrast maps, representing the difference in brain oscillation power between the two conditions. We performed permutation cluster tests on these spatial contrast maps. Additionally, we applied penalized canonical correlation analysis (CCA) to study the relationship between brain oscillation patterns and behavioral traits.ResultsThe data revealed that the FA condition, as compared to the other conditions, was associated with higher alpha and beta power in the temporal areas of the left hemisphere and lower alpha and beta power in the parietal areas of the right hemisphere. Interestingly, the penalized CCA indicated that behavioral inhibition was positively correlated, whereas anxiety was negatively correlated, with a pattern of high oscillatory power in the bilateral precuneus and low power in the bilateral temporal regions. This unique association was found in the anxious‐thoughts condition when contrasted with the focused‐attention condition.ConclusionOur findings suggest individual temperament traits significantly affect brain engagement in naturalistic conditions. This research underscores the importance of considering individual traits in neuroscience and offers an effective method for analyzing brain activity and psychological differences.

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The Contribution of Noradrenergic Activity to Anxiety‐Induced Freezing of Gait

et al. 2022

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Background Freezing of gait is a complex paroxysmal phenomenon that is associated with a variety of sensorimotor, cognitive and affective deficits, and significantly impacts quality of life in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). Despite a growing body of evidence that suggests anxiety may be a crucial contributor to freezing of gait, no research study to date has investigated neural underpinnings of anxiety‐induced freezing of gait. Objective Here, we aimed to investigate how anxiety‐inducing contexts might “set the stage for freezing,” through the ascending arousal system, by examining an anxiety‐inducing virtual reality gait paradigm inside functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Methods We used a virtual reality gait paradigm that has been validated to elicit anxiety by having participants navigate a virtual plank, while simultaneously collecting task‐based fMRI from individuals with idiopathic PD with confirmed freezing of gait. Results First, we established that the threatening condition provoked more freezing when compared to the non‐threatening condition. By using a dynamic connectivity analysis, we identified patterns of increased “cross‐talk” within and between motor, limbic, and cognitive networks in the threatening conditions. We established that the threatening condition was associated with heightened network integration. We confirmed the sympathetic nature of this phenomenon by demonstrating an increase in pupil dilation during the anxiety‐inducing condition of the virtual reality gait paradigm in a secondary experiment. Conclusions In conclusion, our findings represent a neurobiological mechanistic pathway through which heightened sympathetic arousal related to anxiety could foster increased “cross‐talk” between distributed cortical networks that ultimately manifest as paroxysmal episodes of freezing of gait. © 2022 The Authors. Movement Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society

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Neurophysiological indicators of internal attention: An electroencephalography–eye‐tracking coregistration study

Cited by 37 publications

References 94 publications

Neurophysiological indicators of internal attention: an fMRI-eye-tracking co-registration study [preprint]

Neurophysiological indicators of internal attention: an fMRI-eye-tracking co-registration study [preprint]

Penalized canonical correlation analysis reveals a relationship between temperament traits and brain oscillations during mind wandering

The Contribution of Noradrenergic Activity to Anxiety‐Induced Freezing of Gait

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