Causal Evidence for the Role of Neuronal Oscillations in Top–Down and Bottom–Up Attention

Beta and gamma frequency neuronal oscillations have been implicated in top–down and bottom–up attention. In this study, we used rhythmic TMS to modulate ongoing beta and gamma frequency neuronal oscillations in frontal and parietal cortex while human participants performed a visual search task that manipulates bottom–up and top–down attention (single feature and conjunction search). Both task conditions will engage bottom–up attention processes, although the conjunction search condition will require more top–down attention. Gamma frequency TMS to superior precentral sulcus (sPCS) slowed saccadic RTs during both task conditions and induced a response bias to the contralateral visual field. In contrary, beta frequency TMS to sPCS and intraparietal sulcus decreased search accuracy only during the conjunction search condition that engaged more top–down attention. Furthermore, beta frequency TMS increased trial errors specifically when the target was in the ipsilateral visual field for the conjunction search condition. These results indicate that beta frequency TMS to sPCS and intraparietal sulcus disrupted top–down attention, whereas gamma frequency TMS to sPCS disrupted bottom–up, stimulus-driven attention processes. These findings provide causal evidence suggesting that beta and gamma oscillations have distinct functional roles for cognition.

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Effects of Bottom-Up Versus Top-Down Cueing on Conjunction Search in 3-Month-Old Infants

Journal of Vision ◽

10.1167/13.9.301 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 13 (9) ◽

pp. 301-301

Author(s):

C. Fuda ◽

S. Adler

Keyword(s):

Conjunction Search ◽

Top Down ◽

Bottom Up

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Bottom-up and top-down computations in word- and face-selective cortex

eLife ◽

10.7554/elife.22341 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 6 ◽

Cited By ~ 57

Author(s):

Kendrick N Kay ◽

Jason D Yeatman

Keyword(s):

Face Recognition ◽

Cognitive Task ◽

Temporal Cortex ◽

Intraparietal Sulcus ◽

Neural Processing ◽

Top Down ◽

Cognitive Demands ◽

Bottom Up ◽

Stimulus Match ◽

Ventral Temporal Cortex

The ability to read a page of text or recognize a person's face depends on category-selective visual regions in ventral temporal cortex (VTC). To understand how these regions mediate word and face recognition, it is necessary to characterize how stimuli are represented and how this representation is used in the execution of a cognitive task. Here, we show that the response of a category-selective region in VTC can be computed as the degree to which the low-level properties of the stimulus match a category template. Moreover, we show that during execution of a task, the bottom-up representation is scaled by the intraparietal sulcus (IPS), and that the level of IPS engagement reflects the cognitive demands of the task. These results provide an account of neural processing in VTC in the form of a model that addresses both bottom-up and top-down effects and quantitatively predicts VTC responses.

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Attentional Bias for the Left Visual Field in Ambiguous Necker Cube Processing

10.21203/rs.3.rs-311162/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Vladimir Maksimenko ◽

Alexander Kuc ◽

Artem Badarin ◽

Vadim Grubov ◽

Natalia Shusharina ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Visual Field ◽

Attentional Bias ◽

Left Visual Field ◽

Peripheral Vision ◽

Necker Cube ◽

Top Down ◽

Bottom Up ◽

Temporoparietal Junction ◽

Eeg Power ◽

The Right

Abstract There is a view that people better react to the stimuli presented in their left visual field (LVF) due to the right lateralization of the ventral attentional network (VAN). Previous studies used color-deviant stimuli and reported LVF bias for a bottom-up attentional component. Here we examined this effect for ambiguous stimuli, Necker cubes whose processing requires bottom-up and top-down attention. We instructed subjects to report cube’s orientation, left or right, while manipulated their ambiguity. In line with other works, we suggested that ambiguity enhanced reliance on the top-down mechanisms. For low ambiguity, subjects responded faster to the left-oriented cubes. EEG power increased in the right temporoparietal junction (TPJ) for 0.3 s post-stimulus onset. For high ambiguity, we found no difference in response time and EEG power. These results may evidence VAN activation when processing the bottom-up stimulus features. The eye-tracking confirmed that subjects focused on the center of the stimulus. We hypothesized that they used peripheral vision to acquire sensory information. Therefore, the LVF attentional bias might influence the evidence accumulation process. Our results support the bottom-up attentional bias to the left visual field and provide evidence for the vital role of right TPJ in controlling bottom-up attention.

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Feature-based attention: it is all bottom-up priming

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences ◽

10.1098/rstb.2013.0055 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 368 (1628) ◽

pp. 20130055 ◽

Cited By ~ 70

Author(s):

Jan Theeuwes

Keyword(s):

Visual Field ◽

Imaging Studies ◽

Top Down ◽

Bottom Up ◽

Specific Stimulus ◽

Image Characteristics ◽

Feature Based ◽

Neuro Imaging ◽

Rule Out

Feature-based attention (FBA) enhances the representation of image characteristics throughout the visual field, a mechanism that is particularly useful when searching for a specific stimulus feature. Even though most theories of visual search implicitly or explicitly assume that FBA is under top-down control, we argue that the role of top-down processing in FBA may be limited. Our review of the literature indicates that all behavioural and neuro-imaging studies investigating FBA suffer from the shortcoming that they cannot rule out an effect of priming. The mere attending to a feature enhances the mandatory processing of that feature across the visual field, an effect that is likely to occur in an automatic, bottom-up way. Studies that have investigated the feasibility of FBA by means of cueing paradigms suggest that the role of top-down processing in FBA is limited (e.g. prepare for red). Instead, the actual processing of the stimulus is needed to cause the mandatory tuning of responses throughout the visual field. We conclude that it is likely that all FBA effects reported previously are the result of bottom-up priming.

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Bottom-up and top-down computations in high-level visual cortex

10.1101/053595 ◽

2016 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Kendrick N. Kay ◽

Jason D. Yeatman

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Task ◽

Temporal Cortex ◽

Intraparietal Sulcus ◽

Neural Processing ◽

Top Down ◽

Cognitive Demands ◽

Bottom Up ◽

Stimulus Match ◽

Ventral Temporal Cortex ◽

High Level

SummaryThe ability to read a page of text or recognize a person’s face depends on category-selective visual regions in ventral temporal cortex (VTC). To understand how these regions mediate word and face recognition, it is necessary to characterize how stimuli are represented and how this representation is used in the execution of a cognitive task. Here, we show that the response of a category-selective region in VTC can be computed as the degree to which the low-level properties of the stimulus match a category template. Moreover, we show that during execution of a task, the bottom-up representation is scaled by the intraparietal sulcus (IPS), and that the level of IPS engagement reflects the cognitive demands of the task. These results provide a unifying account of neural processing in VTC in the form of a model that addresses both bottom-up and top-down effects and quantitatively predicts VTC responses.

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