Fast and slow parietal pathways mediate spatial attention.
Mechanisms of selective attention are vital for guiding human behavior. The parietal cortex has long been recognized as a neural substrate of spatial attention, but the unique role of distinct parietal subregions has remained unclear. Using single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation, we found that the angular gyrus of the right parietal cortex mediates spatial orienting during two distinct time periods after the onset of a behaviorally relevant event. The biphasic involvement of the angular gyrus suggests that both fast and slow visual pathways are necessary for orienting spatial attention.
Chambers
Christopher D
CD
Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Department of Psychology, University of Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia. c.chambers@psych.unimelb.edu.au
Payne
Jonathan M
JM
Stokes
Mark G
MG
Mattingley
Jason B
JB
D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D003463:Cues; D004558:Electric Stimulation / Q000295:instrumentation; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008280:Magnetics; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D009949:Orientation / Q000502:physiology; D010296:Parietal Lobe / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology*; D010468:Perceptual Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology*; D013028:Space Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D014794:Visual Fields / Q000502:physiology; D014795:Visual Pathways / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology*