01823nas a2200253 4500008004100000022001400041245009200055210006900147260001200216300001200228490000700240520106200247653002101309653003201330653002901362100002001391700001901411700001601430700001901446700001801465700001901483700001901502856004801521 2012 eng d a1095-957200aDecoding covert spatial attention using electrocorticographic (ECoG) signals in humans.0 aDecoding covert spatial attention using electrocorticographic EC c05/2012 a2285-930 v603 a

This study shows that electrocorticographic (ECoG) signals recorded from the surface of the brain provide detailed information about shifting of visual attention and its directional orientation in humans. ECoG allows for the identification of the cortical areas and time periods that hold the most information about covert attentional shifts. Our results suggest a transient distributed fronto-parietal mechanism for orienting of attention that is represented by different physiological processes. This neural mechanism encodes not only whether or not a subject shifts their attention to a location, but also the locus of attention. This work contributes to our understanding of the electrophysiological representation of attention in humans. It may also eventually lead to brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) that optimize user interaction with their surroundings or that allow people to communicate choices simply by shifting attention to them.

10acovert attention10aelectrocorticography (ECoG)10avisual spatial attention1 aGunduz, Aysegul1 aBrunner, Peter1 aDaitch, Amy1 aLeuthardt, E C1 aRitaccio, A L1 aPesaran, Bijan1 aSchalk, Gerwin uhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2236633302535nas a2200277 4500008004100000022001400041245009300055210006900148260001200217300000700229490000600236520172900242653002101971653002501992653001402017653001902031653002902050100002002079700001902099700001602118700001902134700001802153700001902171700001902190856004802209 2011 eng d a1662-516100aNeural Correlates of Covert Attention in Electrocorticographic (ECoG) Signals in Humans.0 aNeural Correlates of Covert Attention in Electrocorticographic E c09/2011 a890 v53 a

Attention is a cognitive selection mechanism that allocates the limited processing resources of the brain to the sensory streams most relevant to our immediate goals, thereby enhancing responsiveness and behavioral performance. The underlying neural mechanisms of orienting attention are distributed across a widespread cortical network. While aspects of this network have been extensively studied, details about the electrophysiological dynamics of this network are scarce. In this study, we investigated attentional networks using electrocorticographic (ECoG) recordings from the surface of the brain, which combine broad spatial coverage with high temporal resolution, in five human subjects. ECoG was recorded when subjects covertly attended to a spatial location and responded to contrast changes in the presence of distractors in a modified Posner cueing task. ECoG amplitudes in the alpha, beta, and gamma bands identified neural changes associated with covert attention and motor preparation/execution in the different stages of the task. The results show that attentional engagement was primarily associated with ECoG activity in the visual, prefrontal, premotor, and parietal cortices. Motor preparation/execution was associated with ECoG activity in premotor/sensorimotor cortices. In summary, our results illustrate rich and distributed cortical dynamics that are associated with orienting attention and the subsequent motor preparation and execution. These findings are largely consistent with and expand on primate studies using intracortical recordings and human functional neuroimaging studies.

10acovert attention10aElectrocorticography10aintention10amotor response10avisual-spatial attention1 aGunduz, Aysegul1 aBrunner, Peter1 aDaitch, Amy1 aLeuthardt, E C1 aRitaccio, A L1 aPesaran, Bijan1 aSchalk, Gerwin uhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22046153