Attentional modulation of visual motion processing in cortical areas MT and MST
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The visual system is constantly inundated with information received by the eyes, only a fraction of which seems to reach visual awareness. This selection process is one of the functions ascribed to visual attention. Although many studies have investigated the role of attention in shaping neuronal representations in the visual cortex, few have focused on attentional modulation of neuronal signals related to visual motion. Here we report that the responses of direction-selective neurons in monkey visual cortex are greatly influenced by attention, and that this modulation occurs as early in the cortical hierarchy as the level of the middle temporal visual area (MT). Our finding demonstrates a stronger and earlier influence of attention on motion processing along the dorsal visual pathway than previously recognized.
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This selective modulation of afferents mirrors the gain-control mechanisms invoked for attention.
“This selective modulation of afferents mirrors the gain-control mechanisms invoked for attention; e.g., [58],[59].”
From Hierarchical Models in the Brain (2008) · cites this paper as [58]
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- Authors
- Treue, S., & Maunsell, J. H. R.
- Affiliations
- University of Tübingen (DE)
- Baylor College of Medicine (US)
- Venue
- Nature
- Published
- 1996-08
- Volume
- 382
- Issue
- 6591
- Pages
- 539-541
- ISSN
- 0028-0836 (ISSN-L)
- 1476-4687
- OpenAlex
- W1988276046
- Cited by
- 1,025
- References
- 1
- Citations by year
- 2026: 11 · 2025: 15 · 2024: 35 · 2023: 18 · 2022: 20 · 2021: 32 · 2020: 20 · 2019: 24 · 2018: 29 · 2017: 28 · 2016: 28 · 2015: 26 · 2014: 34 · 2013: 27 · 2012: 33
- FWCI
- 34.06
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- Licence
- Locations
- Nature (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- GoeScholar The Publication Server of the Georg-August-Universität Göttingen (Georg-August-Universität Göttingen) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- GRO (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Funders
- National Eye Institute (R01EY005911)
- 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
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Multisensory perception and integration
- Keywords
- visual attention, visual motion processing, direction-selective neurons, posterior parietal cortex, dorsal visual pathway, attentional modulation, neural responses, visual cortex, monkeys
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Attention, Brain Mapping, Fixation, Ocular, Macaca, Motion Perception, Neurons, Visual Cortex, Visual Pathways
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