Preparatory encoding of the fine scale of human spatial attention
Authors: Voytek Bradley , Samaha Jason , Rolle Camarin E. , Greenberg Zachery , Gill Navdeep , Porat Shai , Kader Tahim , Rahman Sabahat , Malzyner Rick , Gazzaley Adam 
Published: June 2016

Our attentional focus is constantly shifting: in one moment our vision may be intently concentrated on a specific spot, while in another moment we might spread our attention more broadly. While much is known about the mechanisms by which we shift our visual attention from place to place, relatively little is know about how we shift the aperture of attention from more narrowly-to more broadly-focused. Here we introduce a novel attentional distribution task to examine the neural mechanisms underlying this process. In this task, participants are presented with an informative cue that indicates the location of an upcoming target. This cue can be perfectly predictive of the exact target location, or it can indicate—with varying degrees of certainty—approximately where the target might appear. This cue is followed by a preparatory period in which there is nothing on the screen except a central fixation cross. Using scalp EEG, we examined neural activity during this preparatory period. We find that with decreasing certainty regarding the precise location of the impending target, participant response times increased while target identification accuracy decreased. Additionally, N1 amplitude in response to the cue parametrically increased with spatial certainty while the multivariate pattern of preparatory period visual cortical alpha (8-12 Hz) activity encoded attentional distribution. Both of these electrophysiological parameters were predictive of behavioral performance nearly one second later. These results offer insight into the neural mechanisms underlying how we use information to guide our attentional distribution, and how that influences behavior.

Authors contributions

B.V. and A.G. conceived of the study; B.V. and A.G. designed the experimental task; B.V. and J.S. analyzed the EEG data; B.V., J.S., Z.G., N.G., S.P., T.K., S.R., and R.M. collected and analyzed behavioral data; all co-authors assisted in writing the manuscript.

B.V. is funded by an NIH IRACDA (Institutional Research and Academic Career Development Award), a University of California Presidential Postdoctoral Fellowship, the University of California, San Diego CalIt2 Strategic Research Opportunities Program, and a Sloan Research Fellowship. A.G. is funded by the National Institutes of Health Grant R01-AG30395.

Significant Statement

Animals—including humans—frequently shift their visual attentional focus more narrowly or broadly depending on expectations. For example, a predator feline may focus their visual attention on a burrow hole, waiting for their prey to emerge. In contrast, a grizzly bear hunting salmon doesn't know precisely where the fish will jump out of the water, so it must spread its attention more broadly. In a series of novel experiments, we show that this broadening of attention comes at a behavioral cost. We find that multivariate changes in preparatory visual cortical oscillatory alpha (8-12 Hz) encode attentional distribution. These results shed light on the potential neural mechanisms by which preparatory information is used to guide attentional focus.