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Mechanisms of selective inhibition in visual spatial attention are indexed by α‐band EEG synchronization
Author(s) -
Rihs Tonia A.,
Michel Christoph M.,
Thut Gregor
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
european journal of neuroscience
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.346
H-Index - 206
eISSN - 1460-9568
pISSN - 0953-816X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1460-9568.2007.05278.x
Subject(s) - electroencephalography , neuroscience , n2pc , psychology , synchronization (alternating current) , alpha (finance) , visual space , selective attention , task (project management) , cognitive psychology , visual attention , visual search , visual spatial attention , visual perception , communication , perception , computer science , cognition , developmental psychology , computer network , channel (broadcasting) , management , economics , construct validity , psychometrics
Electroencephalographic studies in humans have demonstrated that orienting of visual attention induces a decrease in oscillatory α‐band activity (α‐desynchronization) over cortical areas tuned to the attended visual space. This is interpreted as reflecting intentionally enhanced excitability of these areas to facilitate upcoming visual processing. However, the inverse mechanism might also apply. Brain areas that process task‐irrelevant space might be actively suppressed by increased α‐activity (α‐synchronization) to protect against input of distracter information. In the present study, we demonstrate that such suppression mechanisms are highly selective and are taking place even without distracters that need to be ignored. During voluntary orienting of attention, we found α‐synchronization to dominate over desynchronization, to be topographically specific for each of eight attention positions, and to occur over areas processing unattended space in a retinotopically organized pattern. This indicates that α‐synchronization is an important component of selective attention, serving active suppression of unattended positions during visual spatial orienting.