Relations between attentional and intentional neural systems.
This study explored whether preparing an arm movement influences detection of a visual stimulus. We cued subjects to respond with either a rightward or a leftward movement to the appearance of a stimulus located either in the centre, in the left, or in the right visual field. Programming a movement toward a lateral direction enhanced visual attention at that side. Rightward movements were associated with an attentional cost only for responses to a central location, while leftward movements slowed response latencies to both central and right-sided stimuli. We hypothesized that programming a rightward movement depends on the activation of intentional centers in either cerebral hemisphere. On the contrary, leftward movements might be only driven by the contralateral hemisphere.
Basso
G
G
Dip. di Patologia Neuropsicosensoriale, Università degli Studi di Modena, Italy. nichelli@imoax1.unimo.it
Nichelli
P
P
D000328:Adult; D001143:Arousal / Q000502:physiology; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000502:physiology; D004292:Dominance, Cerebral / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007699:Kinesthesis / Q000502:physiology*; D009949:Orientation / Q000502:physiology*; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology*