Top-down attending to and bottom-up detection of multiple simultaneously presented targets are governed by the right IPS B de Haan, H-O Karnath |
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Center of Neurology, University of Tuebingen, Germany
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| The ability to respond to multiple simultaneously presented targets is an essential and distinct human skill, as is dramatically demonstrated in stroke patients suffering from visual extinction. The neural correlates underlying this ability are the topic of continuing debate, with some studies pointing towards the TPJ whereas other studies suggest a role for the IPS. We performed an fMRI study to test the hypothesis that whereas the IPS is associated both with the top-down direction of attention to multiple target locations and the bottom-up detection of multiple targets, the TPJ is predominantly associated with the bottom-up detection of multiple targets. We used a cued target detection task with a high proportion of catch trials to separately estimate top-down cue-related and bottom-up target-related neural activity. Both cues and targets could be presented unilaterally or bilaterally. We performed conjunction analyses to determine the neural anatomy specifically associated with bilateral situations. Whereas we found no evidence of target-related neural activation specific to bilateral situations in the TPJ, we found both cue-related and target-related neural activation specific to bilateral situations in the right IPS, suggesting that both top-down attending to and bottom-up detection of multiple simultaneously presented targets are governed by the right IPS. |
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