Article abstract
Nature Neuroscience 10, 1492 - 1499 (2007)
Published online: 7 October 2007 | doi:10.1038/nn1989
Figure-ground mechanisms provide structure for selective attention
Fangtu T Qiu1, Tadashi Sugihara1 & Rüdiger von der Heydt1
Abstract
Attention depends on figure-ground organization: figures draw attention, whereas shapes of the ground tend to be ignored. Recent research has revealed mechanisms for figure-ground organization in the visual cortex, but how these mechanisms relate to the attention process remains unclear. Here we show that the influences of figure-ground organization and volitional (top-down) attention converge in single neurons of area V2 in Macaca mulatta. Although we found assignment of border ownership for attended and for ignored figures, attentional modulation was stronger when the attended figure was located on the neuron's preferred side of border ownership. When the border between two overlapping figures was placed in the receptive field, responses depended on the side of attention, and enhancement was generally found on the neuron's preferred side of border ownership. This correlation suggests that the neural network that creates figure-ground organization also provides the interface for the top-down selection process.
- Krieger Mind/Brain Institute and Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University, 3400 North Charles Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, USA.
Correspondence to: Rüdiger von der Heydt1 e-mail: von.der.heydt@jhu.edu
MORE ARTICLES LIKE THIS
These links to content published by NPG are automatically generated.
NEWS AND VIEWS
Out of the spotlight: face to face with attentionNature Neuroscience News and Views (01 Nov 2007)
Figure and ground in the brainNature Neuroscience News and Views (01 Sep 2001)
See all 3 matches for News And ViewsRESEARCH
Figure-ground mechanisms provide structure for selective attentionNature Neuroscience Article
End stopping in V1 is sensitive to contrastNature Neuroscience Article (01 May 2006)
See all 77 matches for Research
