Ulrich Martin, Adams Sarah C, Kiefer Markus
Department of Psychiatry, University of Ulm, 89075, Ulm, Germany.
Hum Brain Mapp. 2014 Nov;35(11):5500-16. doi: 10.1002/hbm.22566. Epub 2014 Jun 23.
In classical theories of attention, unconscious automatic processes are thought to be independent of higher-level attentional influences. Here, we propose that unconscious processing depends on attentional enhancement of task-congruent processing pathways implemented by a dynamic modulation of the functional communication between brain regions. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we tested our model with a subliminally primed lexical decision task preceded by an induction task preparing either a semantic or a perceptual task set. Subliminal semantic priming was significantly greater after semantic compared to perceptual induction in ventral occipito-temporal (vOT) and inferior frontal cortex, brain areas known to be involved in semantic processing. The functional connectivity pattern of vOT varied depending on the induction task and successfully predicted the magnitude of behavioral and neural priming. Together, these findings support the proposal that dynamic establishment of functional networks by task sets is an important mechanism in the attentional control of unconscious processing.
在经典的注意力理论中，无意识的自动过程被认为独立于高级别的注意力影响。在此，我们提出无意识加工依赖于由脑区之间功能通讯的动态调制所实现的任务一致性加工通路的注意力增强。使用功能磁共振成像，我们通过一个阈下启动的词汇判断任务对我们的模型进行了测试，该任务之前有一个诱导任务，用于准备语义或知觉任务集。与知觉诱导相比，在腹侧枕颞叶（vOT）和额下回（已知参与语义加工的脑区），语义诱导后阈下语义启动显著更强。vOT的功能连接模式因诱导任务而异，并成功预测了行为和神经启动的程度。总之，这些发现支持了这样一种观点，即任务集动态建立功能网络是无意识加工注意力控制中的一个重要机制。
