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Dissecting the neural focus of attention reveals distinct processes for spatial attention and object-based storage in visual working memory

View ORCID ProfileNicole Hakim, View ORCID ProfileKirsten C. S. Adam, View ORCID ProfileEren Gunseli, Edward Awh, Edward K. Vogel
doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/347518
Nicole Hakim
1Department of Psychology, University of Chicago, Chicago, Il.
2Institute for Mind and Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, Il.
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  • For correspondence: nhakim@uchicago.edu
Kirsten C. S. Adam
1Department of Psychology, University of Chicago, Chicago, Il.
2Institute for Mind and Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, Il.
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Eren Gunseli
3Department of Psychology, Columbia University, New York, NY
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Edward Awh
1Department of Psychology, University of Chicago, Chicago, Il.
2Institute for Mind and Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, Il.
4Grossman Institute for Neuroscience, Quantitative Biology, and Human Behavior, University of Chicago, Chicago, Il.
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Edward K. Vogel
1Department of Psychology, University of Chicago, Chicago, Il.
2Institute for Mind and Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, Il.
4Grossman Institute for Neuroscience, Quantitative Biology, and Human Behavior, University of Chicago, Chicago, Il.
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Abstract

Working memory (WM) maintains relevant information in an accessible state, and is composed of an active focus of attention and passive offline storage. Here, we dissect the focus of attention by showing that distinct neural signals index the online storage of objects and sustained spatial attention. We recorded EEG activity during two tasks that employed identical stimulus displays while the relative demands for object storage and spatial attention varied. Across four experiments, we found dissociable delay-period signatures for an attention task (which only required spatial attention) and WM task (which invoked both spatial attention and object storage). Although both tasks required active maintenance of spatial information, only the WM task elicited robust contralateral delay activity that was sensitive to the number of items in the array. Thus, we argue that the focus of attention is maintained via the combined operation of distinct processes for covert spatial orienting and object-based storage.

Footnotes

  • Funding: Research was supported by NIMH grant 5R01 MH087214-08 and Office of Naval Research grant N00014-12-1-0972.

  • Data Availability: Datasets for all experiments will become available online on Open Science Framework upon acceptance of the manuscript or reviewer request: https://osf.io/ws3j9/?viewonly=40b7f0018df44d5a862b51601d4599ed.

  • Conflicts of Interest: none

Copyright 
The copyright holder for this preprint is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. All rights reserved. No reuse allowed without permission.
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Posted June 15, 2018.
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Dissecting the neural focus of attention reveals distinct processes for spatial attention and object-based storage in visual working memory
Nicole Hakim, Kirsten C. S. Adam, Eren Gunseli, Edward Awh, Edward K. Vogel
bioRxiv 347518; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/347518
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Dissecting the neural focus of attention reveals distinct processes for spatial attention and object-based storage in visual working memory
Nicole Hakim, Kirsten C. S. Adam, Eren Gunseli, Edward Awh, Edward K. Vogel
bioRxiv 347518; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/347518

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