Dr. Sabine Kastner, Princeton University
Monday, March 20 at 5:30 p.m., 118 Psychology
Abstract
The selection of information from our cluttered sensory environments is one of the most fundamental cognitive operations performed by the primate brain. In the visual domain, the selection process is thought to be mediated by a static spatial mechanism – a ‘spotlight’ that can be flexibly shifted around the visual scene. This spatial search mechanism has been associated with a large-scale network that consists of multiple nodes distributed across all major cortical lobes and includes also subcortical regions. To identify the specific functions of each network node and their functional interactions is a major goal for the field of cognitive neuroscience. In my lecture, I will challenge two common notions of attention research. First, I will show behavioral and neural evidence that the attentional spotlight is neither stationary nor unitary. In the appropriate behavioral context, even when spatial attention is sustained at a given location, additional spatial mechanisms operate flexibly in parallel to monitor the visual environment. Second, spatial attention is assumed to be under ‘top-down’ control of higher order cortex. In contrast, I will provide neural evidence indicating that attentional control is exerted through thalamo-cortical interactions. Together, this evidence indicates the need for major revisions of traditional attention accounts.
Suggested Reading
Saalmann, Y. B., Pinsk, M. A., Wang, L., & Kastner, S. (2012). The Pulvinar Regulates Information Transmission Between Cortical Areas Based on Attention Demands. Science 337, 753-756. [pdf]
Buschman, T. J. & Kastner, S. (2015). From Behavior to Neural Dynamics: An Integrated Theory of Attention. Neuron 88, 127-144. [pdf]
Fiebelkorn, I. C., Saalmann, Y. B., & Kastner, S. (2013) Rhythmic Sampling within and between Objects despite Sustained Attention at a Cued Location. Current Biology 23, 2553-2558. [pdf]