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A bilateral N2pc (N2pcb) component is elicited by search targets displayed on the vertical midline
Author(s) -
Doro Mattia,
Bellini Francesco,
Brigadoi Sabrina,
Eimer Martin,
Dell'Acqua Roberto
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
psychophysiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.661
H-Index - 156
eISSN - 1469-8986
pISSN - 0048-5772
DOI - 10.1111/psyp.13512
Subject(s) - n2pc , visual search , extrastriate cortex , psychology , neuroscience , negativity effect , visual spatial attention , feature (linguistics) , cognitive psychology , visual attention , visual cortex , cognition , linguistics , philosophy
The study of visually elicited event‐related potentials (ERPs) detected at posterior recording sites during visual search has enormously advanced our knowledge about how and when visuo‐spatial attention locks onto one or more laterally presented target objects. The N2pc component to lateral targets has been pivotal to further our understanding of the mechanisms and time course of target selection in visual search. However, the N2pc cannot track visuo‐spatial attention deployment to targets displayed along the vertical midline. Here, we introduce a new ERP marker (N2pcb component) that is elicited during the selection of such midline targets. In line with retinal and callosal projections from striate to ventral extrastriate cortex, this component reflects an enhanced negativity elicited by midline targets over both posterior hemispheres. By comparing the attentional selection of lateral and midline targets in a singleton search condition and a feature search condition, we show that the N2pcb is triggered at the same time as the N2pc to lateral targets, and shows the same onset latency difference between singleton and feature search. We conclude that the N2pcb and N2pc components reflect the same attentional target selection processes in visual search.