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. 2019 May 17:12:375-384.
doi: 10.2147/PRBM.S188121. eCollection 2019.

Modulations of emotional attention and spatial attention on human visual cortical activities

Taiyong Bi  1 , Yangyang Du  2 , Xiaogang Wang  2 , Na Sang  2 , Fan Zhang  2 , Hui Kou  1 , Qian Zhu  1 , Jiang Qiu  2
Affiliations

Modulations of emotional attention and spatial attention on human visual cortical activities

Taiyong Bi et al. Psychol Res Behav Manag. .

Abstract

Background: Spatial attention could enhance the neural activities of attended locations in human visual cortex. As a salient stimulus, emotional image could enhance the responses in amygdala and visual areas. However, few studies examined the interaction of the attentional effects induced by emotional stimuli and spatial cues on the neural responses in visual areas. Methods: In the present study, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to examine the combined and separated effects of emotional image and spatial cue on the activities in human visual areas. A revised Posner cueing paradigm was utilized. Each participant viewed a fearful image and a peaceful image simultaneously in left and right visual fields. A spatial cue of two dots was then presented in one of the image positions. In this manner, the attentional effects for emotional image and spatial cue could be isolated and combined. Results: The results showed that spatial cue enhanced the responses in V4, intraparietal sulcus (IPS) and lateral occipital area (LO), while emotional image could enhance the responses in V3, V4 and LO. Importantly, no significant interactions were found in any of the visual areas. Conclusion: Our results indicate that the two kinds of attentional modulation might not be affected by each other. These findings shed light on the neural mechanism of the emotional attention.

Keywords: emotional attention; fMRI; spatial attention; visual cortex.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors report no conflict of interest in this work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Schematic description of the stimulus pattern of one trial in the main experiment. Each trial began with two images in the left and right visual fields. One image was a threatening picture and the other was a neutral picture. After a blank interval, a spatial cue was presented in either the left or the right visual fields. Subjects were required to report the orientation of the spatial cue within 1,600 ms.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Obtained BOLD signal changes in conditions across subjects. Error bars denote one SEM. Abbreviations: E&S, contralateral to emotional picture & spatial cue; E&NS, contralateral to emotional picture & no spatial cue; NE&S, contralateral to neutral picture & spatial cue; NE&NS, contralateral to neutral picture & no spatial cue; IPS, intraparietal sulcus; LO, lateral occipital.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Results from the exploratory analysis. We compared the observed activation and predicted activation of the E&S (contralateral to emotional picture & spatial cue) condition. The predicted activation was calculated based on the activations of other conditions. The predictions were fairly accurate in both V4 and LO (lateral occipital). Error bars denote one SEM.
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