Guided visual search is associated with target boosting and distractor suppression in early visual cortex
Abstract Visual attention paradigms have revealed that neural excitability in higher-order visual areas is modulated according to a priority map guiding attention towards task-relevant locations. Neural activity in early visual regions, however, has been argued to be modulated based on bottom-up sal...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Communications Biology |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-025-08321-3 |
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| _version_ | 1849334507145003008 |
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| author | Katharina Duecker Kimron L. Shapiro Simon Hanslmayr Benjamin J. Griffiths Yali Pan Jeremy M. Wolfe Ole Jensen |
| author_facet | Katharina Duecker Kimron L. Shapiro Simon Hanslmayr Benjamin J. Griffiths Yali Pan Jeremy M. Wolfe Ole Jensen |
| author_sort | Katharina Duecker |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Visual attention paradigms have revealed that neural excitability in higher-order visual areas is modulated according to a priority map guiding attention towards task-relevant locations. Neural activity in early visual regions, however, has been argued to be modulated based on bottom-up salience. Here, we combined Magnetoencephalography (MEG) and Rapid Invisible Frequency Tagging (RIFT) in a classic visual search paradigm to study feature-guidance in early human visual cortex. Our results demonstrate evidence for both target boosting and distractor suppression when the participants were informed about the task-relevant and -irrelevant colour (guided search) compared to when they were not (unguided search). These results conceptually replicated using both a magnitude-squared coherence approach and a General Linear Model based on a single-trial measure of the RIFT response. The present findings reveal that feature-guidance in visual search affects neuronal excitability as early as primary visual cortex, possibly contributing to a priority-map-based mechanism. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-19f20d6c8f9843eaae7e7319608cffc7 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2399-3642 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Communications Biology |
| spelling | doaj-art-19f20d6c8f9843eaae7e7319608cffc72025-08-20T03:45:32ZengNature PortfolioCommunications Biology2399-36422025-06-018111110.1038/s42003-025-08321-3Guided visual search is associated with target boosting and distractor suppression in early visual cortexKatharina Duecker0Kimron L. Shapiro1Simon Hanslmayr2Benjamin J. Griffiths3Yali Pan4Jeremy M. Wolfe5Ole Jensen6Department of Neuroscience, Brown UniversityCentre for Human Brain Health, School of Psychology, University of BirminghamCentre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, School of Neuroscience and Psychology, University of GlasgowCentre for Human Brain Health, School of Psychology, University of BirminghamCentre for Human Brain Health, School of Psychology, University of BirminghamBrigham and Women’s HospitalCentre for Human Brain Health, School of Psychology, University of BirminghamAbstract Visual attention paradigms have revealed that neural excitability in higher-order visual areas is modulated according to a priority map guiding attention towards task-relevant locations. Neural activity in early visual regions, however, has been argued to be modulated based on bottom-up salience. Here, we combined Magnetoencephalography (MEG) and Rapid Invisible Frequency Tagging (RIFT) in a classic visual search paradigm to study feature-guidance in early human visual cortex. Our results demonstrate evidence for both target boosting and distractor suppression when the participants were informed about the task-relevant and -irrelevant colour (guided search) compared to when they were not (unguided search). These results conceptually replicated using both a magnitude-squared coherence approach and a General Linear Model based on a single-trial measure of the RIFT response. The present findings reveal that feature-guidance in visual search affects neuronal excitability as early as primary visual cortex, possibly contributing to a priority-map-based mechanism.https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-025-08321-3 |
| spellingShingle | Katharina Duecker Kimron L. Shapiro Simon Hanslmayr Benjamin J. Griffiths Yali Pan Jeremy M. Wolfe Ole Jensen Guided visual search is associated with target boosting and distractor suppression in early visual cortex Communications Biology |
| title | Guided visual search is associated with target boosting and distractor suppression in early visual cortex |
| title_full | Guided visual search is associated with target boosting and distractor suppression in early visual cortex |
| title_fullStr | Guided visual search is associated with target boosting and distractor suppression in early visual cortex |
| title_full_unstemmed | Guided visual search is associated with target boosting and distractor suppression in early visual cortex |
| title_short | Guided visual search is associated with target boosting and distractor suppression in early visual cortex |
| title_sort | guided visual search is associated with target boosting and distractor suppression in early visual cortex |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-025-08321-3 |
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