Assessment of the state of activation of the cortical zones in humans during visual attention and selection

The state of cortical activation during visual symbol shape and position selection tasks was assessed in humans in terms of the magnitude of prestimulus negativity (contingent negative variation, CNV) and the amplitude of the N1-P3 complex in evoked potentials (EP). Evoked potentials in the frontal parietal, occipital, and temporal leads were recorded in 18 young healthy subjects in two sets of experimental conditions: in a screened chamber and in an "open field" beside the experimenter, who communicated the results to the subjects and guided them towards quicker and more precise responses to the target stimuli. The maximum magnitudes of CNV and evoked potentials during selective attention were seen in the parietal areas, and additional increases of activation indexes were observed in the "open field," where subjects' motivation was enhanced. The state of readiness (CNV) was an informative measure of cortical activation, as it determined the parameters of subsequent evoked potentials; the more marked the readiness, themore marked and stable were EP. Comparison of the situations of passive observation and selective reactions to stimuli revealed a reciprocal relationship between CNV in these conditions: the greater the magnitude of CNV in "passive" conditions, the smaller the difference between CNV in "passive" conditions and during selective attention and vice versa. We termed this "additivity of involuntary and voluntary attention." The fact that activation indexes were greatest in the parietal areas suggests that the occipital-parietal system is dominant in visual selection tasks in humans.