Attentional integration between anatomically distinct stimulus representations in early visual cortex.

ABSTRACT: Vision often requires attending to, and integrating information from, distant parts of the visual field. However, the neural basis for such long-range integration is not clearly understood. Here, we demonstrate a specific neural signature of attentional integration between stimuli in different parts of the visual field. Using functional MRI, we found that a task requiring the integration of information between two attended but spatially separated stimuli actively modulated the degree of functional integration (in terms of effective connectivity) between their retinotopic representations in visual cortical areas V1, V2, and V4. Spatial attention enhanced long-distance coupling between distinct neuronal populations that represented the attended visual stimuli, even at the earliest stages of

SUBMITTER: Haynes JD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1253541 | biostudies-literature | 2005 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature