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Active attention modulates passive attention-related neural responses to sudden somatosensory input against a silent background

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Abstract

To reveal whether active attention modulates neuronal responses related to passive attention to somatosensory stimuli presented suddenly against a silent background, we examined the passive attention-related change in amplitude of the event-related brain potentials (ERPs), caused by temporal infrequency of stimuli. Eighteen healthy subjects performed passive and active attention tasks in two stimulus conditions. In the oddball condition, frequent (80%, standard) and infrequent (20%, deviant) electrical stimuli were randomly delivered to the second and third digits of the left hand. In the deviant-alone condition, the deviant stimulus (deviant-alone stimulus) was delivered with the same timing and sequence as in the oddball condition without standard stimuli. The P100, N140, and P200 elicited by the deviant-alone stimulus were enhanced in amplitude compared to those evoked by the oddball deviant stimulus in both the active and passive tasks. Moreover, active attention increased the enhancement of P100 and N140. The difference waveform (deviant-alone minus oddball deviant) provided similar findings. In conclusion, active attention enhances neural responses related to passive shifts of attention to somatosensory signals suddenly presented against a silent background. The results indicate that top-down signals for detecting target stimuli interact with passive shifts of attention caused by bottom-up signals.

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Acknowledgements

We thanks Mr. O. Nagata and Mr. Y. Takeshima for their help in devising, constructing, and maintaining the equipment in this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Integrative Physiology, National Institute for Physiological Sciences, Myodaiji, Okazaki, 444-8585, Japan

    Tetsuo Kida, Toshiaki Wasaka, Hiroki Nakata, Kosuke Akatsuka & Ryusuke Kakigi

  2. Japan Space Forum, Tokyo, Japan

    Toshiaki Wasaka & Ryusuke Kakigi

  3. Department of Physiological Sciences, School of Life Sciences, The Graduate University for Advances Studies, Hayama, Kanagawa, Japan

    Hiroki Nakata, Kosuke Akatsuka & Ryusuke Kakigi

  4. RISTEX, Japan Science and Technology Agency, Saitama, Japan

    Ryusuke Kakigi

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  1. Tetsuo Kida
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  2. Toshiaki Wasaka
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  3. Hiroki Nakata
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  4. Kosuke Akatsuka
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  5. Ryusuke Kakigi
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Correspondence to Tetsuo Kida.

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Kida, T., Wasaka, T., Nakata, H. et al. Active attention modulates passive attention-related neural responses to sudden somatosensory input against a silent background. Exp Brain Res 175, 609–617 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-006-0578-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-006-0578-4

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