Journal of Neurophysiology · 2006 · 104 citations · 15 references
MedicineNeuroscienceVision ScienceCognitive NeuroscienceVisual AttentionVisual NeuroscienceNeural Basis Of AttentionSelective AttentionSpatial AttentionVisual Evoked PotentialsVisual SearchVisual SystemAttentional ModulationCortico-cortical ConnectivityEvent-related Potentials In AttentionInterference In SearchParietal Cortex CircuitsTranscranial Magnetic StimulationVisual Attention ModulationVisual Cortex Responses
To gain insight into the neural basis of visual attention, we combined transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and event-related potentials (ERPs) during a visual search task. Single-pulse TMS over right posterior parietal cortex (rPPC) delayed response times to targets during conjunction search, and this behavioral effect had a direct ERP correlate. The early phase of the N2pc component that reflects the focusing of attention onto target locations in a search display was eliminated over the right hemisphere when TMS was applied there but was present when TMS was delivered to a control site (vertex). This finding demonstrates that rPPC TMS interferes with attentional selectivity in remote visual areas.
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