Aging of stimulus-driven and goal-directed attentional processes in young immigrants with long-term high altitude exposure in Tibet: An ERP study

Abstract

High altitude (HA) exposure reduces the behavioral response to visual attention and the neural basis is still largely unclear. The present study explored the stimulus-driven and goal-directed factors that are hidden within this attentional behavior impairment via a visual search paradigm in young immigrants in Tibet by recording event-related potential (ERPs). We found that HA explosure significantly slowed the stimulus-driven behaviors instead of the goal-directed behaviors. Furthermore, the P1, N1, and P3 amplitudes collectively indicated the poor efficiency of entire attention behaviors, in which the P3 magnitude of resources allocation was negatively correlated with the attentional behavior response. And the P3 scalp distribution suggested a compensation for insufficient resources of sensory processing only in the goal-directed behaviors. Together, the present study made the point on how stimulus-driven and goal-directed attentional behaviors changed as a result of chronic HA environment exposure, which is similar to aging.