A source for feature-based attention in the prefrontal cortex
Open accessAbstract
In cluttered scenes, we can use feature-based attention to quickly locate a target object. To understand how feature attention is used to find and select objects for action, we focused on the ventral prearcuate (VPA) region of prefrontal cortex. In a visual search task, VPA cells responded selectively to search cues, maintained their feature selectivity throughout the delay and subsequent saccades, and discriminated the search target in their receptive fields with a time course earlier than in FEF or IT cortex. Inactivation of VPA impaired the animals' ability to find targets, and simultaneous recordings in FEF revealed that the effects of feature attention were eliminated while leaving the effects of spatial attention in FEF intact. Altogether, the results suggest that VPA neurons compute the locations of objects with the features sought and send this information to FEF to guide eye movements to those relevant stimuli.
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Attentional modulation in neural systems is frequently thought to arise from recurrent top-down connections, not from the parallel processing of concurrent inputs.
“However, this attentional modulation is frequently thought to arise from recurrent top-down connections, not from the parallel processing of concurrent inputs (Noudoost et al. 2010, Bichot et al. 2015).”
From Consciousness in Artificial Intelligence: Insights from the Science of Consciousness (2023) · cites this paper as Bichot et al. 2015
The Discussion (page unavailable) proposes that FEF feedback to visual areas may account for some effects of feature-based attention, supporting a top-down account. But the Introduction also discusses feature-based enhancement predicted by parallel search models; the paper does not establish the claim’s exclusion of parallel processing of concurrent inputs. (LLM, conf=0.84)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredOnly recently has evidence emerged of a causal role of distinct sub-regions of PFC in feature-based selective attention.
“Although there is a rich literature describing the modulation of neural activity during feature-based attention (e.g. [30]), only recently has evidence emerged of a causal role of distinct sub-regions of PFC in its control [31].”
From Linking ADHD to the Neural Circuitry of Attention (2017) · cites this paper as [31]
Exogenous and endogenous attention mechanisms are combined in LIP, SC, and FEF to generate a saliency map.
“It has been proposed that exogenous and endogenous attention mechanisms are combined in area LIP [34], the SC [35], and the FEF (e.g. [31]) to generate a saliency map [34].”
From Linking ADHD to the Neural Circuitry of Attention (2017) · cites this paper as [31]
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- Authors
- Bichot, N. P., Heard, M. T., DeGennaro, E. M., & Desimone, R.
- Affiliations
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research (US)
- Corresponding author
- Bichot, Narcisse P.
- Venue
- Neuron
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2015-11
- Volume
- 88
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 832-844
- ISSN
- 0896-6273 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC4655197
- OpenAlex
- W2183992914
- Cited by
- 283
- References
- 66
- Citations by year
- 2026: 15 · 2025: 33 · 2024: 16 · 2023: 23 · 2022: 30 · 2021: 32 · 2020: 21 · 2019: 53 · 2018: 32 · 2017: 17 · 2016: 8 · 2015: 2
- FWCI
- 11.83
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Neuron (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- DSpace@MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- Funders
- National Science Foundation (1317348)
- University of Chicago
- National Eye Institute (EY017921, R01EY017921)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Visual perception and processing mechanisms
- Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition › Visual Attention and Saliency Detection
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
- Keywords
- feature-based attention, prefrontal cortex, visual search, eye movements, spatial attention, frontal eye field, receptive fields, neural inactivation, object location, cluttered scenes
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Attention, Cues, Frontal Lobe, Macaca mulatta, Male, Neurons, Saccades, Temporal Lobe, Visual Perception, Prefrontal Cortex
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