Electrocortical correlates of control of selective attention to spatial frequency

In the present study, we investigated control of selective attention to spatial frequency patterns, using a cueing paradigm. Subjects either used the instruction embedded in a word cue to prepare for the upcoming test stimulus (transient attention condition) or used the instruction they received before a block of trials (sustained reference condition), under completely similar stimulus conditions. The pattern of differential cue responses between these two conditions, reflecting top–down attentional control processes, was different between two groups of subjects, effectively canceling each other out. Despite comparable behavioral performance on both cues and targets, one group (n = 4) elicited a fronto-central–parietal positivity, starting 500 ms postcue over frontal and prefrontal areas, later including more central and posterior scalp sites, whereas another group (n = 8) started 400 ms postcue over central sites with a negativity, growing in strength over time and stabilizing over fronto-central sites. Only the group of eight subjects showed some evidence of occipital pretarget biasing activity. Independent of group, source modeling of the attentional control activity showed that attentional control was initiated in anterior, not posterior, parts of the brain. Furthermore, different underlying sources were found for both groups, in addition to signs of differential processing of target stimuli. Possible individual differences in attentional control ability and its relation to usage of different brain areas to deal with the task demands are discussed in more detail.