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

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.

scholarly journals Macular Carotenoids Are Associated with Neural Efficiency in Children

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. 102-102
Author(s):  
Caitlyn Edwards ◽  
Corinne Cannavale ◽  
Samantha Iwinski ◽  
Isabel R Flemming ◽  
Ruyu Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Selective Attention ◽  
Flanker Task ◽  
Attentional Resource ◽  
Behavioral Performance ◽  
Attention Task ◽  
Carotenoid Accumulation ◽  
Funding Sources ◽  
The Central Nervous System ◽  
Neural Efficiency ◽  
Attentional Inhibition

Abstract Objectives Macular pigmentation has been previously related to benefits for behavioral and neuroelectric aspects of selective attention across the lifespan. The relationship between accumulation of carotenoids beyond the central nervous system and selective attention is less understood, particularly amongst children. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the differential impacts of retinal and skin carotenoid accumulation and behavioral and neuroelectric indices of selective attention. Methods Children between 7–12 years (N = 60) participated in the study. Macular pigment optical density (MPOD) was assessed using heterochromatic flicker photometry and skin carotenoids were assessed using reflection spectroscopy at the fingertip using the Veggie meter. Body Mass Index adjusted for age and sex (BMI%) and general intelligence as assessed using the Woodcock Johnson IV test were used as covariates. Behavioral performance (accuracy and reaction time) and neuroelectric indices (event-related brain potentials [ERPs]) of attentional inhibition were assessed during a modified Eriksen Flanker task. Specifically, amplitude of the P3 waveform was used to index attentional resource allocation. Results After controlling for covariates, MPOD was selectively associated with lower peak amplitude of the P3 waveform during congruent (β = −0.36, P = 0.01) and incongruent task trials (β = −0.39, P < 0.01). No significant relationships were observed between the P3 and skin carotenoids. Skin carotenoids were associated with higher accuracy on the incongruent trials of the Flanker task (β = 0.36, P = 0.02), while no relationships were observed between MPOD and behavioral performance. Conclusions In this study, we were able to replicate previous findings demonstrating that higher accumulation of retinal carotenoids is associated with neural efficiency during a selective attention task. Skin carotenoids were associated with behavioral performance but were not related to neuroelectric indices of selective attention, suggesting site-specific benefits of carotenoid accumulation on cognitive health in childhood. Funding Sources This work is funded by the Egg Nutrition Center.

scholarly journals Spatiotemporal oscillatory dynamics of visual selective attention during a flanker task

NeuroImage ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 156 ◽  
pp. 277-285 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy J. McDermott ◽  
Alex I. Wiesman ◽  
Amy L. Proskovec ◽  
Elizabeth Heinrichs-Graham ◽  
Tony W. Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Selective Attention ◽  
Flanker Task ◽  
Visual Selective Attention ◽  
Oscillatory Dynamics

Cortical and Autonomic Correlates of Visual Selective Attention in Introverted and Extraverted Children

2005 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-49 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monika Althaus ◽  
H. Karin Gomarus ◽  
Albertus A. Wijers ◽  
Lambertus J.M. Mulder ◽  
José L. van Velzen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Selective Attention ◽  
Task Performance ◽  
High Frequency ◽  
Physiological State ◽  
Cardiac Activity ◽  
Visual Selective Attention ◽  
Spectral Energy ◽  
Healthy Children ◽  
Perceptual Sensitivity ◽  
Attention Task

Abstract. We investigated the performance on a selective attention task in two groups of 8- to 12-year-old healthy children being characterized as extraverted and introverted, respectively. During task performance EEG-activity was recorded to investigate differential effects on a specific selection-related potential, the N2b. Cardiac activity was recorded continuously before, during and after task performance. Spectral energy was computed for three distinguishable frequency bands corresponding with a low (LF), mid- (MF), and high-frequency (HF) component in heart rate variability (HRV). The extraverted children were found to show greater perceptual sensitivity in response to irrelevant information. They also exhibited a greater N2b-component while showing significantly greater decreases in, particularly, the LF- and MF-power of HRV during task performance as compared to baseline periods. The magnitude of the N2b and the task-related decreases in LF-power of HRV were found to correlate significantly with the degree of extraversion and task performance, as well as with each other. The findings are discussed in the light of how selective attention and changes in physiological state may be related to the children's temperament.

scholarly journals Oscillatory infrasonic modulation of the cochlear amplifier by selective attention

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Constantino D. Dragicevic ◽  
Bruno Marcenaro ◽  
Marcela Navarrete ◽  
Luis Robles ◽  
Paul H. Delano
Keyword(s):  
Selective Attention ◽  
Otoacoustic Emissions ◽  
Cell Activity ◽  
Otoacoustic Emission ◽  
Phase Changes ◽  
Oscillatory Activity ◽  
Cochlear Amplifier ◽  
Descending Pathways ◽  
Attention Task ◽  
Distortion Product

AbstractEvidence shows that selective attention to visual stimuli modulates the gain of cochlear responses, probably through auditory-cortex descending pathways. At the cerebral cortex level, amplitude and phase changes of neural oscillations have been proposed as a correlate of selective attention. However, whether sensory receptors are also influenced by the oscillatory network during attention tasks remains unknown. Here, we searched for oscillatory attention-related activity at the cochlear receptor in humans. We used an alternating visual/auditory selective attention task and measured electroencephalographic activity simultaneously to distortion product otoacoustic emissions (a measure of cochlear receptor-cell activity). In order to search for cochlear oscillatory activity, the otoacoustic emission signal, was included as an additional channel in the electroencephalogram analyses. This method allowed us to study dynamic changes of cochlear oscillations in the same range of frequencies (1-35 Hz) in which cognitive effects are commonly observed in electroencephalogram works. We found the presence of low frequency (<10 Hz) brain and cochlear amplifier oscillations during periods of selective attention to visual and auditory stimuli. Notably, switching between auditory and visual attention modulates the amplitude and the temporal order of brain and inner ear oscillations. These results extend the role of the oscillatory activity network during cognition in neural systems to the receptor level.

scholarly journals Physical activity and aerobic fitness show different associations with brain processes underlying anticipatory selective visuospatial attention in adolescents

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Doris Hernández ◽  
Erkka Heinilä ◽  
Joona Muotka ◽  
Ilona Ruotsalainen ◽  
Hanna-Maija Lapinkero ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Selective Attention ◽  
Aerobic Fitness ◽  
Oscillatory Activity ◽  
List Type ◽  
Attention Task ◽  
Physically Active ◽  
Oscillatory Dynamics ◽  
Alpha Asymmetry ◽  
Efficient Processing

ABSTRACTUnderlying brain processes of exercise-related benefits on executive functions and the specific contribution of physical activity vs. aerobic fitness are poorly understood, especially during adolescence. We explored whether and how physical activity and aerobic fitness are associated with selective attention and the oscillatory dynamics induced by an anticipatory spatial cue. Further, we studied whether the link between physical exercise level and cognitive control in adolescents is mediated by the task-related oscillatory activity. Magnetoencephalographic alpha oscillations during a modified Posner’s cueing paradigm were measured in 59 adolescents (37 females and 22 males, 12 to 17 years). Accelerometer-measured physical activity and aerobic fitness (20-m shuttle run test) were used to divide the sample into higher and lower performing groups. The interhemispheric alpha asymmetry during selective attention was larger in the high than in the low physical activity group, but there was no difference between the high and low aerobic fitness groups. Exploratory mediation analysis suggested that anticipatory interhemispheric asymmetry mediates the association between physical activity status and drift rate in the selective attention task. Higher physical activity was related to increased cue-induced asymmetry, which in turn was associated with less efficient processing of information. Behaviorally, higher physically active males showed stronger dependence on the cue while higher fit females showed more efficient processing of information. Our findings suggest that physical activity may be associated with a neural marker of anticipatory attention in adolescents. These findings have implications for understanding the varying results on the association between physical activity and attention in adolescents.HIGHLIGHTSPhysical activity and aerobic fitness link differently with attention in adolescents.Higher physical activity relates with stronger cue-induced oscillatory asymmetry.Brain hemispheric interaction mediates the link between physical activity and attention.

scholarly journals Children with Cerebral Palsy Have Altered Occipital Cortical Oscillations during a Visuospatial Attention Task

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacy R VerMaas ◽  
Brandon J Lew ◽  
Michael P Trevarrow ◽  
Tony W Wilson ◽  
Max J Kurz
Keyword(s):  
Cerebral Palsy ◽  
Visual Information ◽  
Response Times ◽  
Visual Space ◽  
Occipital Cortex ◽  
Gamma Oscillations ◽  
Attention Task ◽  
Frequency Bands ◽  
Cortical Oscillations ◽  
Visuospatial Processing

Abstract Dynamically allocating neural resources to salient features or objects within our visual space is fundamental to making rapid and accurate decisions. Impairments in such visuospatial abilities have been consistently documented in the clinical literature on individuals with cerebral palsy (CP), although the underlying neural mechanisms are poorly understood. In this study, we used magnetoencephalography (MEG) and oscillatory analysis methods to examine visuospatial processing in children with CP and demographically matched typically developing (TD) children. Our results indicated robust oscillations in the theta (4–8 Hz), alpha (8–14 Hz), and gamma (64–80 Hz) frequency bands in the occipital cortex of both groups during visuospatial processing. Importantly, the group with CP exhibited weaker cortical oscillations in the theta and gamma frequency bands, as well as slower response times and worse accuracy during task performance compared to the TD children. Furthermore, we found that weaker theta and gamma oscillations were related to greater visuospatial performance deficits across both groups. We propose that the weaker occipital oscillations seen in children with CP may reflect poor bottom-up processing of incoming visual information, which subsequently affects the higher-order visual computations essential for accurate visual perception and integration for decision-making.

The P3 Parietal-To-Frontal Shift Relates to Age-Related Slowing in a Selective Attention Task

2017 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 49-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eva-Maria Reuter ◽  
Claudia Voelcker-Rehage ◽  
Solveig Vieluf ◽  
Franca Parianen Lesemann ◽  
Ben Godde
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Selective Attention ◽  
Response Times ◽  
Flanker Task ◽  
Event Related Potentials ◽  
Compensatory Mechanism ◽  
Attention Task ◽  
Equal Distribution ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Related Potentials

Abstract. Older adults recruit relatively more frontal as compared to parietal resources in a variety of cognitive and perceptual tasks. It is not yet clear whether this parietal-to-frontal shift is a compensatory mechanism, or simply reflects a reduction in processing efficiency. In this study we aimed to investigate how the parietal-to-frontal shift with aging relates to selective attention. Fourteen young and 26 older healthy adults performed a color Flanker task under three conditions (incongruent, congruent, neutral) and event-related potentials (ERPs) were measured. The P3 was analyzed for the electrode positions Pz, Cz, and Fz as an indicator of the parietal-to-frontal shift. Further, behavioral performance and other ERP components (P1 and N1 at electrodes O1 and O2; N2 at electrodes Fz and Cz) were investigated. First young and older adults were compared. Older adults had longer response times, reduced accuracy, longer P3 latencies, and a more frontal distribution of P3 than young adults. These results confirm the parietal-to-frontal shift in the P3 with age for the selective attention task. Second, based on the differences between frontal and parietal P3 activity the group of older adults was subdivided into those showing a rather equal distribution of the P3 and older participants showing a strong frontal focus of the P3. Older adults with a more frontally distributed P3 had longer response times than participants with a more equally distributed P3. These results suggest that the frontally distributed P3 observed in older adults has no compensatory function in selective attention but rather indicates less efficient processing and slowing with age.

Unattended Distractor-Induced Priming in a Visual Selective Attention Task

2004 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 164-169 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Heil ◽  
Bettina Rolke
Keyword(s):  
Selective Attention ◽  
Target Word ◽  
Visual Selective Attention ◽  
Probe Display ◽  
N400 Effect ◽  
Attention Task ◽  
Priming Effects ◽  
Prime Display ◽  
Related Potentials ◽  
Target Probe

Abstract: Event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded from 24 subjects in a visual selective-attention task in which two words were each presented both in a prime display and in a probe display with the target word defined by color. Subjects' task for the prime display was a physical one (target word presented in upper or lower case letters), while the probe display task was a lexical decision. In addition to a neutral condition, four conditions were realized by varying the target probe: The target probe word was (1) a repetition of the target prime (attended repetition), (2) a semantically associated word to the target prime (attended semantic), (3) a repetition of the distractor prime (unattended repetition), or (4) a word semantically associated to the distractor prime (unattended semantic). An attended semantic and an attended repetition priming effect was observed by means of both RT and N400. The N400 differentiated between these two attended priming conditions while RT did not. No unattended priming effects were found with behavioral data. The N400 amplitude modulation, however, was also present for unattended priming but was attenuated compared to the attended condition. The data suggest (1) that automatic processes are sufficient to evoke an N400 effect, and (2) that the N400 effect is a more sensitive indicator for priming effects than response times.

scholarly journals Does the Perceptual Load Hypothesis Predict Auditory Distractibility?

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher W Robinson
Keyword(s):  
Selective Attention ◽  
Perceptual Load ◽  
Visual Selective Attention ◽  
Auditory Information ◽  
Opposite Pattern ◽  
Attention Task ◽  
Attention Tasks ◽  
Multisensory Information ◽  
Shed Light ◽  
Auditory Distractors

Attention is a valuable resource with limited capacity, so knowing what will distract us during important tasks can be crucial in life. There is a lot of support for the Perceptual Load Hypothesis (PLH) when examining visual distractibility, however, less research has examined if PLH can predict auditory distractibility. Participants in the current study completed visual selective attention tasks while being presented with auditory and visual distractions under low/high perceptual loads. While visual distractors had a larger effect on the visual selective attention task, we increased auditory distractor effects by requiring participants to periodically respond to the auditory information. Our results showed no support for PLH with auditory distractors, and instead showed the opposite pattern, with auditory distractors having a larger effect under high perceptual load. These findings have important implications for our understanding of selective attention and shed light on tasks that require the processing of multisensory information.

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