Covert Shifts of Spatial Attention in the Macaque Monkey

摘要: In the awake state, shifts of spatial attention alternate with periods sustained at a fixed location or object. Human fMRI experiments revealed critical role superior parietal lobule (SPL) in shifting attention, finding not predicted by human lesion studies and monkey electrophysiology. To investigate whether potential homolog SPL region exists monkeys (Macaca mulatta), we adopted an event-related paradigm that closely resembled experiment (Molenberghs et al., 2007). this paradigm, pair relevant irrelevant shapes was continuously present on horizontal meridian. Subjects had to covertly detect dimming shape while ignoring dimmings. The events interest consisted replacement one stimulus next. During shift but stay events, new appeared contralateral position relative previous one. Spatial activated areas V6/V6A medial intraparietal area, caudo-dorsal visual areas, most posterior portion temporal sulcus, several smaller frontal areas. These were during passive stimulation same sensory stimuli. strong direction-sensitive signals observed distributed set visual, temporal, parietal, lateral prefrontal vast majority overlapping representation. We suggest area as functional counterparts because they contained widespread absence activity, resembling characteristics area.