Attentional control influence habituation through modulation of connectivity patterns within the prefrontal cortex: Insights from stereo-EEG

• Published in: NeuroImage (Orlando, Fla.) Fla.), 2024-07, Vol.294, p.120640-120640, Article 120640
• Main Authors: Huang, Huimin, Li, Rui, Qiao, Xiaojun, Li, Xiaoran, Li, Ziyue, Chen, Siyi, Yao, Yi, Wang, Fengpeng, Zhang, Xiaobin, Lin, Kaomin, Zhang, Junsong
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Attentional control; Behavior; Brain research; Collaboration; Connectivity patterns; Cortex (frontal); EEG; Electrodes; Electroencephalography; Epilepsy; Frontal gyrus; Habituation; Hypotheses; Information theory; Prefrontal cortex; SEEG; Top-down
• ISSN: 1053-8119; 1095-9572
• DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2024.120640

•Our study utilized stereo-electroencephalogram to investigate the dynamic interaction between attentional control and habituation processes in the prefrontal cortex, providing insights into how these fundamental mechanisms synergize during cognitive tasks.•Two distinct neural pathways within the subregions of prefrontal cortex are identified – a bottom-up dominant pathway orchestrated by the IFG, facilitating habitual responses, and a top-down dominant pathway modulated by the OFC, enabling attentional control to override ingrained habits.•Through an information model, we unveil unique patterns of information flow within the subregions of prefrontal cortex, particularly during color-word congruent and incongruent conditions, contributing to a comprehensive understanding of attentional regulation mechanisms. Attentional control, guided by top-down processes, enables selective focus on pertinent information, while habituation, influenced by bottom-up factors and prior experiences, shapes cognitive responses by emphasizing stimulus relevance. These two fundamental processes collaborate to regulate cognitive behavior, with the prefrontal cortex and its subregions playing a pivotal role. Nevertheless, the intricate neural mechanisms underlying the interaction between attentional control and habituation are still a subject of ongoing exploration. To our knowledge, there is a dearth of comprehensive studies on the functional connectivity between subsystems within the prefrontal cortex during attentional control processes in both primates and humans. Utilizing stereo-electroencephalogram (SEEG) recordings during the Stroop task, we observed top-down dominance effects and corresponding connectivity patterns among the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), the middle frontal gyrus (MFG), and the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) during heightened attentional control. These findings highlighting the involvement of OFC in habituation through top-down attention. Our study unveils unique connectivity profiles, shedding light on the neural interplay between top-down and bottom-up attentional control processes, shaping goal-directed attention.