The effect of attention on the auditory steady-state response.
40-Hz auditory steady state responses to amplitude modulated tones were recorded with magnetoencephalography to investigate the effect of focused attention. A modulation discrimination task and a destructive visual task established the attended and the non-attended experimental conditions. A strong contrast between these conditions was demonstrated by largely enhanced sustained responses under the attention condition. A significant attentional effect on the ASSR amplitude was observed mostly in the left hemisphere between 200 to 500 ms after stimulus onset. In contrast, transient gamma-band and N1 responses were not affected by the different states of attention.
Ross
B
B
The Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care, Toronto, ON, Canada. bernhard.ross@ieee.org
Picton
T W
TW
Herdman
A T
AT
Pantev
C
C
D000161:Acoustic Stimulation / Q000379:methods*; D000328:Adult; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D001303:Auditory Cortex / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D015225:Magnetoencephalography / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010775:Photic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology