Enhanced Neural Processing by Covert Attention only during Microsaccades Directed toward the Attended Stimulus.

ABSTRACT: Attention can be "covertly" directed without eye movements; yet, even during fixation, there are continuous microsaccades (MSs). In areas V4 and IT of macaques, we found that firing rates and stimulus representations were enhanced by attention but only following a MS toward the attended stimulus. The onset of neural attentional modulations was tightly coupled to the MS onset. The results reveal a major link between the effects of covert attention on cortical visual processing and the overt movement of the eyes.

SUBMITTER: Lowet E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8415255 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature