SII and the fronto-parietal areas are involved in visually cued tactile top-down spatial attention: a functional MRI study

Neuroreport. 2014 Apr 16;25(6):415-21. doi: 10.1097/WNR.0000000000000128.

Abstract

Visual cue-oriented, tactile top-down attention (vTA) has been well investigated behaviorally. However, vTA-related brain activation remains unclear, and whether SI (primary somatosensory cortex) or SII (secondary somatosensory cortex) is modulated by the top-down process of tactile cognition remains particularly controversial. We used the Posner paradigm in which a visual spatial cue directed attention to a tactile target [tactile spatial attention (TS) task]. The TS is compared with a visual nonspatially cued, tactile attention task [tactile neutral attention (TN) task]. The behavioral results showed no significant differences between the TS and TN tasks. However, we considered the possibility that the visual spatial hint affected the TS neural network. Brain-imaging data showed that the inferior parietal lobe was activated more during the TS task than during the TN task. Furthermore, we present evidence to support SII modulation by top-down processing during the TS task.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Attention / physiology*
  • Cues
  • Female
  • Frontal Lobe / physiology
  • Functional Neuroimaging / instrumentation
  • Functional Neuroimaging / methods*
  • Humans
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging
  • Male
  • Somatosensory Cortex / physiology*
  • Space Perception / physiology*
  • Touch Perception / physiology*
  • Young Adult