Giesbrecht B, Woldorff M G, Song A W, Mangun G R
Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Duke University, Box 90999, Durham, NC 27709, USA.
Neuroimage. 2003 Jul;19(3):496-512. doi: 10.1016/s1053-8119(03)00162-9.
Theories of visual selective attention posit that both spatial location and nonspatial stimulus features (e.g., color) are elementary dimensions on which top-down attentional control mechanisms can selectively influence visual processing. Neuropsychological and neuroimaging studies have demonstrated that regions of superior frontal and parietal cortex are critically involved in the control of visual-spatial attention. This frontoparietal control network has also been found to be activated when attention is oriented to nonspatial stimulus features (e.g., motion). To test the generality of the frontoparietal network in attentional control, we directly compared spatial and nonspatial attention in a cuing paradigm. Event-related fMRI methods permitted the isolation of attentional control activity during orienting to a location or to a nonspatial stimulus feature (color). Portions of the frontoparietal network were commonly activated to the spatial and nonspatial cues. However, direct statistical comparisons of cue-related activity revealed subregions of the frontoparietal network that were significantly more active during spatial than nonspatial orienting when all other stimulus, task, and attentional factors were equated. No regions of the frontal-parietal network were more active for nonspatial cues in comparison to spatial cues. These findings support models suggesting that subregions of the frontal-parietal network are highly specific for controlling spatial selective attention.
视觉选择性注意理论认为，空间位置和非空间刺激特征（如颜色）都是自上而下的注意控制机制可以选择性地影响视觉处理的基本维度。神经心理学和神经影像学研究表明，额上回和顶叶皮质区域在视觉空间注意控制中起着关键作用。当注意力指向非空间刺激特征（如运动）时，也发现这个额顶控制网络会被激活。为了测试额顶网络在注意控制中的普遍性，我们在一个线索范式中直接比较了空间注意和非空间注意。事件相关功能磁共振成像方法能够在定向到一个位置或一个非空间刺激特征（颜色）时分离出注意控制活动。额顶网络的部分区域在空间线索和非空间线索时通常都会被激活。然而，当所有其他刺激、任务和注意因素都相等时，对线索相关活动的直接统计比较显示，额顶网络的一些子区域在空间定向时比非空间定向时显著更活跃。与空间线索相比，额顶网络中没有区域在非空间线索时更活跃。这些发现支持了这样的模型，即额顶网络的子区域在控制空间选择性注意方面具有高度特异性。
