School of Psychology, Birkbeck College, University of London, Malet Street, London, WC1E 7HX, United Kingdom.
Neuropsychologia. 2010 Mar;48(4):961-9. doi: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2009.11.017. Epub 2009 Nov 26.
Previous behavioural and neuroscience studies have shown that the systems involved in the control of attention and action are functionally and anatomically linked. We used behavioural and event-related brain potential measures to investigate whether such links are mandatory or merely optional. Cues presented at the start of each trial instructed participants to shift attention to the left or right side and to simultaneously prepare to a finger movement with their left or right hand. In different trials, cues were followed by a central Go signal, requiring execution of the prepared manual response (motor task), or by a peripheral visual stimulus, which required a target-non-target discrimination only when presented on the cued side (attention task). Lateralised ERP components indicative of covert attention shifts were found when attention and action were directed to the same side (same side condition), but not when attention and action were directed to opposite sides (opposite sides condition). Likewise, effects of spatial attention on the processing of peripheral visual stimuli were present only when attention and action were directed to the same side, but not in the opposite sides condition. These results demonstrate that preparing a manual response on one side severely disrupts the attentional selection of visual stimuli on the other side, and suggest that it is not possible to simultaneously direct attention and action to different locations in space. They support the hypothesis that the control of spatial attention and action are implemented by shared brain circuits, and are therefore linked in a mandatory fashion.
先前的行为和神经科学研究表明，控制注意力和动作的系统在功能和解剖上是相互联系的。我们使用行为和事件相关脑电位测量来研究这种联系是强制性的还是可选的。在每个试验开始时呈现的线索指示参与者将注意力转移到左侧或右侧，并同时准备用左手或右手进行手指运动。在不同的试验中，线索后面跟着中央 Go 信号，要求执行准备好的手动反应（运动任务），或者是外周视觉刺激，只有在提示侧呈现时才需要进行目标-非目标辨别（注意任务）。当注意力和动作指向同一侧时（同侧条件），会发现表明隐蔽注意力转移的偏向性 ERP 成分，但当注意力和动作指向相反侧时（对侧条件）则不会。同样，当注意力和动作指向同一侧时，空间注意力对周边视觉刺激的处理会产生影响，但在对侧条件下则不会。这些结果表明，在一侧准备手动反应会严重干扰另一侧视觉刺激的注意力选择，并且表明不可能同时将注意力和动作指向不同的空间位置。它们支持空间注意力和动作控制由共享的大脑回路实施的假设，因此以强制性的方式联系在一起。
