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Poster B1 in Poster Session B - Thursday, August 8, 2024, 1:30 – 3:30 pm, Johnson Ice Rink
Anticipatory visual cortical dynamics of temporal expectation and voluntary temporal attention
Karen J. Tian1,2 (), David J. Heeger2, Marisa Carrasco2, Rachel N. Denison1,2; 1Boston University, 2New York University
We can often anticipate the precise moment when a stimulus will be relevant for our behavioral goals. Directing voluntary temporal attention helps us see better at relevant times. How does the brain anticipate and select a relevant moment in a temporally precise manner? Here we used time-resolved steady-state visual evoked responses (SSVER) to investigate how temporal attention dynamically modulates visual activity when temporal expectation is controlled. We recorded MEG while observers directed temporal attention to one of two sequential grating targets with predictable timing. Meanwhile, we used a co-localized SSVER probe to continuously track visual cortical modulations leading up to the targets. We found both ramping and a low-frequency (~2 Hz) periodic modulation of the SSVER that anticipated the arrival of the targets, tied to temporal expectation. Furthermore, the low-frequency modulation shifted in phase according to which of two time points was attended. Thus, temporal attention flexibly coordinates visual cortical excitability to proactively prioritize sensory information at precise moments.
Keywords: temporal attention temporal expectation visual perception steady-state visual evoked responses