Cited by 286Visual perception and processing mechanismsNeural dynamics and brain functionVisual Attention and Saliency Detection

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Effects of Attention on the Reliability of Individual Neurons in Monkey Visual Cortex

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McAdams, Carrie J., Maunsell, John H.R.·1999·Neuron

DOI 10.1016/s0896-6273(01)80034-9

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Abstract

To determine the physiological mechanisms underlying the enhancement of performance by attention, we examined how attention affects the ability of isolated neurons to discriminate orientation by investigating the reliability of responses with and without attention. Recording from 262 neurons in cortical area V4 while two rhesus macaques did a delayed match-to-sample task with oriented stimuli, we found that attention did not produce detectable changes in the variability of neuronal responses but did improve the orientation discriminability of the neurons. We also found that attention did not change the relationship between burst rate and response rate. Our results are consistent with the idea that attention selects groups of neurons for a multiplicative enhancement in response strength.

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Authors: McAdams, C. J., & Maunsell, J. H. R.
Affiliations: Baylor College of Medicine (US)
Howard Hughes Medical Institute (US)
Corresponding author: Maunsell, John H.R.
ORCID: McAdams, Carrie J.
Maunsell, John H.R.
Venue: Neuron
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Published: 1999-08
Volume: 23
Issue: 4
Pages: 765-773
ISSN: 0896-6273 (ISSN-L)
DOI: 10.1016/s0896-6273(01)80034-9
OpenAlex: W2139326454
Cited by: 286
References: 53
Citations by year: 2026: 5 · 2025: 9 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 8 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 7 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 10 · 2018: 13 · 2017: 11 · 2016: 11 · 2015: 16 · 2014: 8 · 2013: 19 · 2012: 14
FWCI: 6.32
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: bronze
doi.org
Licence: www.elsevier.com/tdm/userlicense/1.0/ (tdm)
www.elsevier.com/open-access/userlicense/1.0/ (vor, 5099 d)
Locations: Neuron (publishedVersion)
PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders: National Eye Institute (R01 EY-05911, T32 EY07001, T32EY007001, R01EY005911)
National Institute of General Medical Sciences (T32GM007330, T32GM-07330)
Topics: Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Visual perception and processing mechanisms
Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural dynamics and brain function
Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition › Visual Attention and Saliency Detection
Keywords: visual attention, orientation discrimination, area V4, rhesus monkeys, neuronal response variability, burst firing, response rate, delayed matching-to-sample
MeSH terms: Animals, Attention, Discrimination, Psychological, Electrophysiology, Macaca mulatta, Microelectrodes, Neurons, Orientation, Psychomotor Performance, Time Factors, Visual Cortex, Visual Fields

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Effects of Attention on the Reliability of Individual Neurons in Monkey Visual Cortex

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