Distinct roles of forward and backward alpha-band waves in spatial visual attention
Previous research has associated alpha-band [8–12 Hz] oscillations with inhibitory functions: for instance, several studies showed that visual attention increases alpha-band power in the hemisphere ipsilateral to the attended location. However, other studies demonstrated that alpha oscillations posi...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
eLife Sciences Publications Ltd
2023-03-01
|
| Series: | eLife |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://elifesciences.org/articles/85035 |
| _version_ | 1797857589004861440 |
|---|---|
| author | Andrea Alamia Lucie Terral Malo Renaud D'ambra Rufin VanRullen |
| author_facet | Andrea Alamia Lucie Terral Malo Renaud D'ambra Rufin VanRullen |
| author_sort | Andrea Alamia |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Previous research has associated alpha-band [8–12 Hz] oscillations with inhibitory functions: for instance, several studies showed that visual attention increases alpha-band power in the hemisphere ipsilateral to the attended location. However, other studies demonstrated that alpha oscillations positively correlate with visual perception, hinting at different processes underlying their dynamics. Here, using an approach based on traveling waves, we demonstrate that there are two functionally distinct alpha-band oscillations propagating in different directions. We analyzed EEG recordings from three datasets of human participants performing a covert visual attention task (one new dataset with N = 16, two previously published datasets with N = 16 and N = 31). Participants were instructed to detect a brief target by covertly attending to the screen’s left or right side. Our analysis reveals two distinct processes: allocating attention to one hemifield increases top-down alpha-band waves propagating from frontal to occipital regions ipsilateral to the attended location, both with and without visual stimulation. These top-down oscillatory waves correlate positively with alpha-band power in frontal and occipital regions. Yet, different alpha-band waves propagate from occipital to frontal regions and contralateral to the attended location. Crucially, these forward waves were present only during visual stimulation, suggesting a separate mechanism related to visual processing. Together, these results reveal two distinct processes reflected by different propagation directions, demonstrating the importance of considering oscillations as traveling waves when characterizing their functional role. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-09T20:59:11Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f2757562186548d380a282eb8314809d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2050-084X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-09T20:59:11Z |
| publishDate | 2023-03-01 |
| publisher | eLife Sciences Publications Ltd |
| record_format | Article |
| series | eLife |
| spelling | doaj.art-f2757562186548d380a282eb8314809d2023-03-29T13:51:08ZengeLife Sciences Publications LtdeLife2050-084X2023-03-011210.7554/eLife.85035Distinct roles of forward and backward alpha-band waves in spatial visual attentionAndrea Alamia0https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9826-2161Lucie Terral1Malo Renaud D'ambra2Rufin VanRullen3https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3611-7716Cerco, CNRS Université de Toulouse, Toulouse, France; Artificial and Natural Intelligence Toulouse Institute, Toulouse, FranceCerco, CNRS Université de Toulouse, Toulouse, FranceCerco, CNRS Université de Toulouse, Toulouse, FranceCerco, CNRS Université de Toulouse, Toulouse, France; Artificial and Natural Intelligence Toulouse Institute, Toulouse, FrancePrevious research has associated alpha-band [8–12 Hz] oscillations with inhibitory functions: for instance, several studies showed that visual attention increases alpha-band power in the hemisphere ipsilateral to the attended location. However, other studies demonstrated that alpha oscillations positively correlate with visual perception, hinting at different processes underlying their dynamics. Here, using an approach based on traveling waves, we demonstrate that there are two functionally distinct alpha-band oscillations propagating in different directions. We analyzed EEG recordings from three datasets of human participants performing a covert visual attention task (one new dataset with N = 16, two previously published datasets with N = 16 and N = 31). Participants were instructed to detect a brief target by covertly attending to the screen’s left or right side. Our analysis reveals two distinct processes: allocating attention to one hemifield increases top-down alpha-band waves propagating from frontal to occipital regions ipsilateral to the attended location, both with and without visual stimulation. These top-down oscillatory waves correlate positively with alpha-band power in frontal and occipital regions. Yet, different alpha-band waves propagate from occipital to frontal regions and contralateral to the attended location. Crucially, these forward waves were present only during visual stimulation, suggesting a separate mechanism related to visual processing. Together, these results reveal two distinct processes reflected by different propagation directions, demonstrating the importance of considering oscillations as traveling waves when characterizing their functional role.https://elifesciences.org/articles/85035traveling wavescovert visual attentionalpha-band oscillationsEEG recordingsalpha lateralization |
| spellingShingle | Andrea Alamia Lucie Terral Malo Renaud D'ambra Rufin VanRullen Distinct roles of forward and backward alpha-band waves in spatial visual attention eLife traveling waves covert visual attention alpha-band oscillations EEG recordings alpha lateralization |
| title | Distinct roles of forward and backward alpha-band waves in spatial visual attention |
| title_full | Distinct roles of forward and backward alpha-band waves in spatial visual attention |
| title_fullStr | Distinct roles of forward and backward alpha-band waves in spatial visual attention |
| title_full_unstemmed | Distinct roles of forward and backward alpha-band waves in spatial visual attention |
| title_short | Distinct roles of forward and backward alpha-band waves in spatial visual attention |
| title_sort | distinct roles of forward and backward alpha band waves in spatial visual attention |
| topic | traveling waves covert visual attention alpha-band oscillations EEG recordings alpha lateralization |
| url | https://elifesciences.org/articles/85035 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT andreaalamia distinctrolesofforwardandbackwardalphabandwavesinspatialvisualattention AT lucieterral distinctrolesofforwardandbackwardalphabandwavesinspatialvisualattention AT malorenauddambra distinctrolesofforwardandbackwardalphabandwavesinspatialvisualattention AT rufinvanrullen distinctrolesofforwardandbackwardalphabandwavesinspatialvisualattention |