| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6031418 | NeuroImage | 2012 | 10 Pages |
A growing literature indicates that visual cortex areas viewed as primarily responsive to exogenous stimuli are susceptible to top-down modulation by selective attention. The present study examines whether brain areas involved in biological motion perception are among these areas-particularly with respect to selective attention towards human movement goals. Fifteen participants completed a point-light biological motion study following a two-by-two factorial design, with one factor representing an exogenous manipulation of human movement goals (goal-directed versus random movement), and the other an endogenous manipulation (a goal identification task versus an ancillary color-change task). Both manipulations yielded increased activation in the human homologue of motion-sensitive area MTÂ + (hMTÂ +) as well as the extrastriate body area (EBA). The endogenous manipulation was associated with increased right posterior superior temporal sulcus (STS) activation, whereas the exogenous manipulation was associated with increased activation in left posterior STS. Selective attention towards goals activated a portion of left hMTÂ +/EBA only during the perception of purposeful movement-consistent with emerging theories associating this area with the matching of visual motion input to known goal-directed actions. The overall pattern of results indicates that attention towards the goals of human movement activates biological motion areas. Ultimately, selective attention may explain why some studies examining biological motion show activation in hMTÂ + and EBA, even when using control stimuli with comparable motion properties.
⺠Participants completed a point-light biological motion task. ⺠The task manipulated selective attention to movement goals. ⺠Attention to goals yielded increased activity in multiple visual regions. ⺠These regions included posterior STS, extrastriate body area, and hMT+. ⺠Attention to goals modulates visual cortex activity independent of visual input.
