EEG Correlates of Voluntary and Involuntary Mental Attention in the Non-stationary Research Mode

• Published in: Human physiology 2020-03, Vol.46 (2), p.113-118
• Main Authors: Boytsova, Yu. A., Dan’ko, S. G., Solov’yeva, M. L.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Attention; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Cognitive ability; Cortex (somatosensory); EEG; Human Physiology; Life Sciences; Memory; Sensory stimuli; Synchronization; Visual perception; Visual stimuli
• ISSN: 0362-1197; 1608-3164
• DOI: 10.1134/S0362119720010041

We continued the study of EEG correlates of cognitive states with different contributions of sensory and mental attention in the non-stationary research mode. Tasks for sensory and mental attention were presented in series of 80 or 40 trials. Each trial contained two types of stimuli: visually presented words concretized the variants of the task; the presentation of images or a blank screen indicated the beginning of memorization or recall (imagination). Along with the tasks, a series of similar stimuli (words and blank screen) was presented, but the subjects were not asked to perform any tasks. In the latter case, the subjects passively observed irrelevant visual stimuli and, apparently, were withdrawn to their inner world (mind-wandering state). This condition is characterized by a specific EEG pattern, which differs from the patterns observed at rest and during cognitive tasks involving sensory and mental attention. Repetition of visual stimuli in the non-stationary research mode of mental attention has a masking effect on the dynamics of EEG synchronization in the α 2 range. This masking effect occurs only if cognitive tasks are triggered by relevant sensory stimuli, but not by irrelevant stimuli. The findings support the opinion that synchronization in the α range is an essential sign of mental attention. A possible EEG pattern specific for voluntary figurative mental attention was also observed; this specific pattern includes different directions of changes in high-frequency EEG bands (β 2 and γ) in the anterior and posterior areas of the cortex.