The Role of Motion, Flicker, and Abrupt Onset in Attention Capture

Subliminal cues have been shown to capture attention and modulate manual response behaviour but their impact on eye movement behaviour is not well-studied. In two experiments, we examined if subliminal cues influence constrained free-choice saccades and if this influence is under strategic control as a function of task-relevancy of the cues. On each trial, a display containing four filled circles at the centre of each quadrant was shown. A central coloured circle indicated the relevant visual field on each trial (Up or Down in Experiment 1; Left or Right in Experiment 2). Next, abrupt-onset cues were presented for 16 ms at one of the four locations. Participants were then asked to freely choose and make a saccade to one of the two target circles in the relevant visual field. The analysis of the frequency of saccades, saccade endpoint deviation and saccade latency revealed a significant influence of the relevant subliminal cues on saccadic decisions. Latency data showed reduced capture by spatially-irrelevant cues under some conditions. These results indicate that spatial attentional control settings as defined in our study could modulate the influence of subliminal abrupt-onset cues on eye movement behaviour. We situate the findings of this study in the attention-capture debate and discuss the implications for the subliminal cueing literature.

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Testing the Possibility of Model-based Pavlovian Control of Attention to Threat

Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience ◽

10.1162/jocn_a_01329 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 31 (1) ◽

pp. 36-48 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Deborah Talmi ◽

Martina Slapkova ◽

Matthias J. Wieser

Keyword(s):

Attention Capture ◽

Conditioned Stimuli ◽

Learning Stage ◽

Internal Representations ◽

Model Based Control ◽

Model Based ◽

Model Free ◽

Role Of Information ◽

Instrumental Control

Signals for reward or punishment attract attention preferentially, a principle termed value-modulated attention capture (VMAC). The mechanisms that govern the allocation of attention can be described with a terminology that is more often applied to the control of overt behaviors, namely, the distinction between instrumental and Pavlovian control, and between model-free and model-based control. Although instrumental control of VMAC can be either model-free or model-based, it is not known whether Pavlovian control of VMAC can be model-based. To decide whether this is possible, we measured steady-state visual evoked potentials (SSVEPs) while 20 healthy adults took part in a novel task. During the learning stage, participants underwent aversive threat conditioning with two conditioned stimuli (CSs): one that predicted pain (CS+) and one that predicted safety (CS−). Instructions given before the test stage allowed participants to infer whether novel, ambiguous CSs (new_CS+/new_CS−) were threatening or safe. Correct inference required combining stored internal representations and new propositional information, the hallmark of model-based control. SSVEP amplitudes quantified the amount of attention allocated to novel CSs on their very first presentation, before they were ever reinforced. We found that SSVEPs were higher for new_CS+ than new_CS−. This result is potentially indicative of model-based Pavlovian control of VMAC, but additional controls are necessary to verify this conclusively. This result underlines the potential transformative role of information and inference in emotion regulation.

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The functional neuro-anatomy of the human response to fear: A brief review

South African Journal of Psychiatry ◽

10.4102/sajpsychiatry.v17i1.270 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 17 (1) ◽

pp. 6

Author(s):

A Del Casale ◽

S Ferracuti ◽

G D Kotzalidis ◽

C Rapinesi ◽

D Serata ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Emotional Response ◽

Functional Neuroimaging ◽

Living Environment ◽

Attention Capture ◽

Fear Learning ◽

Imaging Studies ◽

Neural Basis ◽

Future Improvement ◽

Neuroimaging Techniques

The perception of fear and subsequent appropriate behavioral responding are crucial for the adaptation of species to their living environment. Functional neuroimaging studies of the neural basis of fear during the last few decades in humans contributed to significant advancement in the understanding of its mechanisms. Imaging studies help us delineating the role of amygdala-based neurocircuitry in fear activation and attention capture. The aim of this paper was to briefly review the most recent functional neuroimaging studies of fear perception, modulation and learning. Important knowledge was acquired about the factors that set fear in motion, including the role of nonconscious processes and the character of fear in guiding attention. A subcortical network interacts with the prefrontal cortex to modulate emotional response that allows better coping with environmental and social circumstances. Fear learning reduces the need to relearn about danger, and flexibility processes readjust fear behavior when external circumstances change. Future improvement of functional and other neuroimaging techniques may promote better clarification of the neurocircuitry involved in fear perception, learning and modulation.

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Model-based Pavlovian control of attention to threat

10.1101/288027 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

D Talmi ◽

M Slapkova ◽

MJ Wieser

Keyword(s):

Task Design ◽

Attention Capture ◽

Learning Stage ◽

Internal Representations ◽

Model Based Control ◽

Model Based ◽

Model Free ◽

Role Of Information ◽

Instrumental Control

AbstractSignals for reward or punishment attract attention preferentially, a principle termed ‘value-modulated attention capture’ (VMAC). The mechanisms that govern the allocation of attention resources can be productively described with a terminology that is more often applied to the control of overt behaviours, namely, the distinction between instrumental and Pavlovian control, and between model-free and model-based control. While instrumental control of VMAC can be either model-free or model-based, it is not known whether Pavlovian control of VMAC can be model-based. To decide whether this is possible we measured Steady-State Visual Evoked Potentials (SSVEPs) while 20 healthy adults took part in a novel task. During the learning stage participants underwent aversive threat conditioning with two CSs, one that predicted pain (CS+) and one that predicted safety (CS-). Instructions given prior to the test stage in the task allowed participants to infer whether novel, ambiguous CSs (new CS+/ new CS-) were threatening or safe. Correct inference required combining stored internal representations and new propositional information, the hallmark of model-based control. SSVEP amplitudes quantified the amount of attention allocated to novel CSs on their very first presentation, before they were ever reinforced. We found that SSVEPs were higher for new CS+ than new CS-. Because task design precluded model-free or instrumental control this result demonstrates a model-based Pavlovian control of VMAC. It confirms, in the domain of internal resource allocation, the model-based Pavlovian control of incentive behaviour and underlines the potential transformative role of information as an emotion regulation technique.

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Automatic Attention Capture by Threatening, But Not by Semantically Incongruent Natural Scene Images

Cerebral Cortex ◽

10.1093/cercor/bhaa040 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 30 (7) ◽

pp. 4158-4168 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Marcin Furtak ◽

Łucja Doradzińska ◽

Alina Ptashynska ◽

Liad Mudrik ◽

Anna Nowicka ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Attention Capture ◽

Visual Objects ◽

Probe Task ◽

Irrelevant Distractors ◽

Low Probability ◽

Automatic Attention ◽

Task Irrelevant ◽

Automatic Capture ◽

Primary Measure

Abstract Visual objects are typically perceived as parts of an entire visual scene, and the scene’s context provides information crucial in the object recognition process. Fundamental insights into the mechanisms of context-object integration have come from research on semantically incongruent objects, which are defined as objects with a very low probability of occurring in a given context. However, the role of attention in processing of the context-object mismatch remains unclear, with some studies providing evidence in favor, but other against an automatic capture of attention by incongruent objects. Therefore, in the present study, 25 subjects completed a dot-probe task, in which pairs of scenes—congruent and incongruent or neutral and threatening—were presented as task-irrelevant distractors. Importantly, threatening scenes are known to robustly capture attention and thus were included in the present study to provide a context for interpretation of results regarding incongruent scenes. Using N2 posterior-contralateral ERP component as a primary measure, we revealed that threatening images indeed capture attention automatically and rapidly, but semantically incongruent scenes do not benefit from an automatic attentional selection. Thus, our results suggest that identification of the context-object mismatch is not preattentive.

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Attentional Functions of the Superior Colliculus

10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199675111.013.014 ◽

2014 ◽

Author(s):

Richard J. Krauzlis

Keyword(s):

Superior Colliculus ◽

Attention Capture ◽

Visual Signals ◽

Covert Attention ◽

Central Component ◽

Motor Pathways ◽

Electrical Microstimulation ◽

Priority Map ◽

Selection Of

The superior colliculus (SC) plays an important role in both overt and covert attention. In primates, the SC is well known to be a central component of the motor pathways that orient the eyes and head to important objects in the environment. Accordingly, neurons in the SC show enhanced responses that will be the target of orienting movements, compared to stimuli that will be ignored. Single-neuron recordings in the SC have revealed a variety of attention-related effects, including changes in activity related to bottom-up and top-down attention, attention capture, and inhibition of return. These findings support the view of the SC as a priority map that represents the location of important objects in the visual environment. Manipulation of SC activity by electrical microstimulation and chemical inactivation shows that the SC is not simply a recipient of attention-related effects, but plays a causal role in these processes. In particular, activity in the SC plays a major role in the selection of targets for saccades, and also for pursuit eye movements and movements of the hand. Moreover, activity in the SC is important not only for the control of overt attention, but also plays a crucial role in covert attention—the processing of visual signals for perceptual judgements even in the absence of orienting movements. The mechanisms mediating the role of the SC in the control of covert attention are not yet known, but current models emphasize interactions between the SC and areas of the cerebral cortex.

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A Case of Myoclonic Epilepsy Presenting with Status Epilepticus in an Elderly Male Patient

Journal of Neurosciences in Rural Practice ◽

10.1055/s-0040-1709348 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (03) ◽

pp. 463-466

Author(s):

Halil Onder

Keyword(s):

Status Epilepticus ◽

Male Patient ◽

Abrupt Onset ◽

Myoclonic Epilepsy ◽

Elderly Male ◽

Unique Case ◽

Antiepileptic Treatment ◽

Related Literature ◽

Negative Myoclonus

AbstractMyoclonic epilepsy in the form of status epilepticus is an extremely rare reported presentation. Herein, we describe an 87-year old male patient presenting with abrupt-onset rhythmic myoclonic jerks that were evaluated as synchronous positive and negative myoclonus. Further etiological investigations revealed that the myoclonus was associated with ictogenesis, and appropriate antiepileptic treatment provided total cessation of the movements. To my knowledge, this is a unique case of myoclonic status epilepticus in an elderly patient, which may have been associated with a cerebrovascular disease. In the presentation of this case, we will review the related literature and discuss some considerations to explain the pathophysiology of epileptic myoclonic movements and the possible role of pontine lesions.

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