Attention and interhemispheric transfer : a behavioral and fMRI study

Weber, B.; Treyer, V.; Oberholzer, N.; Järmann, Thomas; Boesiger, P.; Brugger, P.; Regard, M.; Buck, A.; Savazzi, S.; Marzi, C. A.

doi:10.1162/0898929052880002

Publication type:	Article in scientific journal
Type of review:	Peer review (publication)
Title:	Attention and interhemispheric transfer : a behavioral and fMRI study
Authors:	Weber, B. Treyer, V. Oberholzer, N. Järmann, Thomas Boesiger, P. Brugger, P. Regard, M. Buck, A. Savazzi, S. Marzi, C. A.
DOI:	10.1162/0898929052880002
Published in:	Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience
Volume(Issue):	17
Issue:	1
Page(s):	113
Pages to:	123
Issue Date:	2005
Publisher / Ed. Institution:	MIT Press
ISSN:	0898-929X 1530-8898
Language:	English
Subjects:	Adult; Analysis of variance; Attention; Brain; Dominance, verebral; Female; Humans; Image processing, computeraAssisted; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; Oxygen; Photic stimulation; Psychomotor performance; Reaction time; Spatial behavior; Transfer (psychology); Visual perception
Subject (DDC):	616.8: Neurology, diseases of nervous system
Abstract:	When both detections and responses to visual stimuli are performed within one and the same hemisphere, manual reaction times (RTs) are faster than when the two operations are carried out in different hemispheres. A widely accepted explanation for this difference is that it reflects the time lost in callosal transmission. Interhemispheric transfer time can be estimated by subtracting RTs for uncrossed from RTs for crossed responses (crossed-uncrossed difference, or CUD). In the present study, we wanted to ascertain the role of spatial attention in affecting the CUD and to chart the brain areas whose activity is related to these attentional effects on interhemispheric transfer. To accomplish this, we varied the proportion of crossed and uncrossed trials in different blocks. With this paradigm subjects are likely to focus attention either on the hemifield contralateral to the responding hand (blocks with 80% crossed trials) or on the ipsilateral hemifield (blocks with 80% uncrossed trials). We found an inverse correlation between the proportion of crossed trials in a block and the CUD and this effect can be attributed to spatial attention. As to the imaging results, we found that in the crossed minus uncrossed subtraction, an operation that highlights the neural processes underlying interhemispheric transfer, there was an activation of the genu of the corpus callosum as well as of a series of cortical areas. In a further commonality analysis, we assessed those areas which were activated specifically during focusing of attention onto one hemifield either contra- or ipsilateral to the responding hand. We found an activation of a number of cortical and subcortical areas, notably, parietal area BA 7 and the superior colliculi. We believe that the main thrust of the present study is to have teased apart areas important in interhemispheric transmission from those involved in spatial attention.
URI:	https://digitalcollection.zhaw.ch/handle/11475/5006
Fulltext version:	Published version
License (according to publishing contract):	Licence according to publishing contract
Departement:	School of Engineering
Appears in collections:	Publikationen School of Engineering

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Weber, B., Treyer, V., Oberholzer, N., Järmann, T., Boesiger, P., Brugger, P., Regard, M., Buck, A., Savazzi, S., & Marzi, C. A. (2005). Attention and interhemispheric transfer : a behavioral and fMRI study. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 17(1), 113–123. https://doi.org/10.1162/0898929052880002

Weber, B. et al. (2005) ‘Attention and interhemispheric transfer : a behavioral and fMRI study’, Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 17(1), pp. 113–123. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1162/0898929052880002.

B. Weber et al., “Attention and interhemispheric transfer : a behavioral and fMRI study,” Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, vol. 17, no. 1, pp. 113–123, 2005, doi: 10.1162/0898929052880002.

WEBER, B., V. TREYER, N. OBERHOLZER, Thomas JÄRMANN, P. BOESIGER, P. BRUGGER, M. REGARD, A. BUCK, S. SAVAZZI und C. A. MARZI, 2005. Attention and interhemispheric transfer : a behavioral and fMRI study. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience. 2005. Bd. 17, Nr. 1, S. 113–123. DOI 10.1162/0898929052880002

Weber, B., V. Treyer, N. Oberholzer, Thomas Järmann, P. Boesiger, P. Brugger, M. Regard, A. Buck, S. Savazzi, and C. A. Marzi. 2005. “Attention and Interhemispheric Transfer : A Behavioral and fMRI Study.” Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience 17 (1): 113–23. https://doi.org/10.1162/0898929052880002.

Weber, B., et al. “Attention and Interhemispheric Transfer : A Behavioral and fMRI Study.” Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, vol. 17, no. 1, 2005, pp. 113–23, https://doi.org/10.1162/0898929052880002.