Effect of visual spatial information on tactile spatial attention: An fMRI study

Visual orienting attention is well researched by using a visual cue. The tactile spatial attention and the tactile visual spatial attention have been compared by the brain imaging data. In our study, We used a top-down attention paradigm in which a visual cue directed the attention of participants to both visual and tactile target stimulus in a spatial (attention was directed to unilateral target distinctly) in TS (tactile spatial) task and TvS (tactile-visual spatial) attention task. During the tasks, the attention was manipulated to tactile spatial by a visual cue, and the visual stimulus was told to be ignored. Neutral cue gave no information about spatial location. Subjects were also scanned during a controlled baseline condition in which subjects clicked the reaction key ten times. The reaction time obtained during tactile spatial attention task with a synchronous visual target is faster than that without a synchronous visual target. Behavioral results of reaction times have a significant difference between tactile spatial attention and tactile-visual spatial attention. Thus, we considered that the visual information is affecting the tactile spatial attention neural network. Brain imaging data showed that IPL (inferior parietal lobe) and ACC (anterior cingulate cortex) were activated in the tactile spatial attention task and the activations were enhanced during the task with the synchronous visual target.