The Neural Correlates of Visual Attention in Virtual Reality
Poster No:
2450
Submission Type:
Abstract Submission
Authors:
Lukas Lorentz1, André Schüppen1, Boris Suchan2, Ferdinand Binkofski1
Institutions:
1University Hospital Aachen, Aachen, Germany, 2Ruhr-University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
First Author:
Co-Author(s):
Introduction:
Virtual Reality technology is increasingly used in cognitive rehabilitation to train attentional functions(2, 3). However, the neural mechanisms by which Virtual Reality can presumably stimulate attention in a more ecologically valid way than conventional training methods are still mostly unstudied. The current study's objective is to examine the effects of different forms of binocular presentation (Virtual Reality-characteristic stereoscopic "3D" vs. monoscopic "2D") on neural processing during a visual attention task.
Methods:
Thirty-two healthy participants performed a visual attention task in an immersive virtual environment that was displayed via MR-compatible video goggles in an MRI scanner. The paradigm required participants to change their first-person perspective in an underwater scenario (Figure 1) by using an MR-compatible trackball with the aim of hitting a particular target stimulus. The paradigm altered between trials requiring active engagement with the task and mere observation trials. Furthermore, the form of binocular presentation switched between monoscopic and stereoscopic presentation.
Results:
Analyses yielded evidence for increased activation in stereoscopic compared to monoscopic trials in the tertiary visual cortex area V3A (Figure 2B) and elevated activation in the dorsal attention network when engaging in the attention task (Figure 2A). An additional ROI analysis of area V3A revealed significantly lower attentional engagement costs in stereoscopic conditions compared to monoscopic conditions (Figure 2C).
Conclusions:
The results support previous findings indicating that V3A is involved in binocular depth perception(5). Furthermore, heightened activation in V3A following stereoscopic presentation seemed to facilitate attentional engagement with the task (Figure 2C). Considering V3A's critical position as the origin of the dorso-dorsal, ventro-dorsal, and ventral visual processing pathways(1,4), the current findings suggest that it serves as a gating area distributing visual inputs to visuomotor systems partially contingent on binocular presentation.
Modeling and Analysis Methods:
Methods Development
Motor Behavior:
Visuo-Motor Functions 2
Novel Imaging Acquisition Methods:
BOLD fMRI
Perception, Attention and Motor Behavior:
Attention: Visual 1
Perception: Visual
Keywords:
Other - Attention; Cognitive Rehabilitation; Virtual Reality; Stereopsis
1|2Indicates the priority used for review
·Schematic experimental timeline (in Methods)
·Main effects and interaction in ROI (in Restults)
Provide references using author date format
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bandl.2012.07.007
2 Bioulac, S., Micoulaud-Franchi, J., Maire, J., Bouvard, M. P., Rizzo, A., Sagaspe, P., & Philip, P. (2020), "Virtual Remediation Versus Methylphenidate to Improve Distractibility in Children With ADHD. A Controlled Randomized Clinical Trial Study", Journal of Attention Disorders, vol. 24, no. 2, pp. 326–335
DOI: 10.1177/1087054718759751.
3 Gamito, P., Oliveira, J., Coelho, C., Morais, D., Lopes, P., Pacheco, J., Brito, R., Soares, F., Santos, N., & Barata, A. F. (2015), "Cognitive training on stroke patients via virtual reality-based serious games", Disability and Rehabilitation, vol. 39, no. 4, pp. 385-388
https://doi.org/10.3109/09638288.2014.934925
4 Tessari, A., Proietti, R., & Rumiati, R. I. (2021), "Bottom-up and top-down modulation of route selection in imitation", Cognitive Neuropsychology, vol. 38, no. 7-8, pp. 515–530
https://doi.org/10.1080/02643294.2022.2043264
5 Tsao, D. Y., Vanduffel, W., Sasaki, Y., Fize, D., Knutsen, T. A., Mandeville, J. B., Wald, L. L., Dale, A. M., Rosen, B. R., Van Essen, D. C., Livingstone, M. S., Orban, G. A., & Tootell, R. B. (2003), "Stereopsis activates V3A and caudal intraparietal areas in macaques and humans", Neuron, vol. 39, no. 3, pp. 555-568
https://doi.org/10.1016/s0896-6273(03)00459-8