Spatiotemporal oscillatory dynamics of visual selective attention during a flanker task

Selective attention is a key mechanism to monitor conflict-related processing and behaviour, by amplifying task-relevant processing and inhibiting task-irrelevant information. Conflict monitoring and resolution is typically associated with brain oscillatory power increase in the theta frequency range (3-8 Hz), as indexed by increased midfrontal theta power. We expand previous findings of theta power increase related to conflict processing and distractor inhibition by considering attentional target amplification to be represented in theta frequency as well. The present study (N = 41) examined EEG oscillatory activities associated with stimulus and response conflict in a lateralized flanker task. Depending on the perceptual (in)congruency and response (in)compatibility of distractor-target associations, resulting stimulus and response conflicts were examined in behavioural and electrophysiological data analyses. Both response and stimulus conflict emerged in RT analysis. Regarding EEG data, response-locked cluster analysis showed an increase of midfrontal theta power related to response conflict. In addition, stimulus-locked cluster analysis revealed early clusters with increased parietal theta power for non-conflicting compared to conflicting trials, followed by increased midfrontal theta power for both stimulus and response conflict. Our results suggest that conflict resolution in the flanker task relies on a combination of target amplification, depicted by parietal theta power increase, and distractor inhibition, indexed by midfrontal theta power increase, for both stimulus and response conflicts. Attentional amplification of sensory target features is discussed with regard to a domain-general conflict monitoring account.

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Target Amplification and Distractor Inhibition: Theta Oscillatory Dynamics of Selective Attention in a Flanker Task

Cognitive Affective & Behavioral Neuroscience ◽

10.3758/s13415-021-00876-y ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Céline C. Haciahmet ◽

Christian Frings ◽

Bernhard Pastötter

Keyword(s):

Cluster Analysis ◽

Selective Attention ◽

Flanker Task ◽

Response Conflict ◽

Conflict Monitoring ◽

Distractor Inhibition ◽

Theta Power ◽

Oscillatory Dynamics ◽

Power Increase ◽

Theta Frequency

AbstractSelective attention is a key mechanism to monitor conflict-related processing and behaviour, by amplifying task-relevant processing and inhibiting task-irrelevant information. Conflict monitoring and resolution is typically associated with brain oscillatory power increase in the theta frequency range (3-8 Hz), as indexed by increased midfrontal theta power. We expand previous findings of theta power increase related to conflict processing and distractor inhibition by considering attentional target amplification to be represented in theta frequency as well. The present study (N = 41) examined EEG oscillatory activities associated with stimulus and response conflict in a lateralized flanker task. Depending on the perceptual (in)congruency and response (in)compatibility of distractor-target associations, resulting stimulus and response conflicts were examined in behavioural and electrophysiological data analyses. Both response and stimulus conflict emerged in RT analysis. Regarding EEG data, response-locked cluster analysis showed an increase of midfrontal theta power related to response conflict. In addition, stimulus-locked cluster analysis revealed early clusters with increased parietal theta power for nonconflicting compared to conflicting trials, followed by increased midfrontal theta power for both stimulus and response conflict. Our results suggest that conflict resolution in the flanker task relies on a combination of target amplification, depicted by parietal theta power increase, and distractor inhibition, indexed by midfrontal theta power increase, for both stimulus and response conflicts. Attentional amplification of sensory target features is discussed with regard to a domain-general conflict monitoring account.

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Cortical oscillations that underlie visual selective attention are abnormal in adolescents with cerebral palsy

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-83898-3 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Rashelle M. Hoffman ◽

Christine M. Embury ◽

Brandon J. Lew ◽

Elizabeth Heinrichs-Graham ◽

Tony W. Wilson ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cerebral Palsy ◽

Selective Attention ◽

Critical Period ◽

Flanker Task ◽

Visual Selective Attention ◽

Oscillatory Activity ◽

Attention Task ◽

Cortical Oscillations ◽

Left Insula ◽

Attention Function

AbstractAdolescence is a critical period for the development and refinement of several higher-level cognitive functions, including visual selective attention. Clinically, it has been noted that adolescents with cerebral palsy (CP) may have deficits in selectively attending to objects within their visual field. This study aimed to evaluate the neural oscillatory activity in the ventral attention network while adolescents with CP performed a visual selective attention task. Adolescents with CP (N = 14; Age = 15.7 ± 4 years; MACS I–III; GMFCS I–IV) and neurotypical (NT) adolescents (N = 21; Age = 14.3 ± 2 years) performed the Eriksen flanker task while undergoing magnetoencephalographic (MEG) brain imaging. The participants reported the direction of a target arrow that was surrounded by congruent or incongruent flanking arrows. Compared with NT adolescents, adolescents with CP had slower responses and made more errors regarding the direction of the target arrow. The MEG results revealed that adolescents with CP had stronger alpha oscillations in the left insula when the flanking arrows were incongruent. Furthermore, participants that had more errors also tended to have stronger alpha oscillatory activity in this brain region. Altogether these results indicate that the aberrant activity seen in the left insula is associated with diminished visual selective attention function in adolescents with CP.

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