Cell-type-specific synchronization of neural activity in FEF with V4 during attention

Neuron. 2012 Feb 9;73(3):581-94. doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2011.12.019.

Abstract

Shifts of gaze and shifts of attention are closely linked and it is debated whether they result from the same neural mechanisms. Both processes involve the frontal eye fields (FEF), an area which is also a source of top-down feedback to area V4 during covert attention. To test the relative contributions of oculomotor and attention-related FEF signals to such feedback, we recorded simultaneously from both areas in a covert attention task and in a saccade task. In the attention task, only visual and visuomovement FEF neurons showed enhanced responses, whereas movement cells were unchanged. Importantly, visual, but not movement or visuomovement cells, showed enhanced gamma frequency synchronization with activity in V4 during attention. Within FEF, beta synchronization was increased for movement cells during attention but was suppressed in the saccade task. These findings support the idea that the attentional modulation of visual processing is not mediated by movement neurons.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, N.I.H., Intramural

MeSH terms

  • Action Potentials / physiology*
  • Animals
  • Attention / physiology*
  • Behavior, Animal
  • Macaca mulatta
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging
  • Male
  • Memory / physiology
  • Neurons / physiology*
  • Neuropsychological Tests
  • Photic Stimulation
  • Reaction Time
  • Saccades
  • Spectrum Analysis
  • Statistics as Topic
  • Visual Cortex / cytology*
  • Visual Cortex / physiology*
  • Visual Fields / physiology*