Distinct neural markers of TVA-based visual processing speed and short-term storage capacity parameters

An individual's visual attentional capacity is characterized by 2 central processing resources, visual perceptual processing speed and visual short-term memory (vSTM) storage capacity. Based on Bundesen's theory of visual attention (TVA), independent estimates of these parameters can be ob...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Cerebral cortex (New York, N.Y. 1991) N.Y. 1991), 2014-08, Vol.24 (8), p.1967-1978
Main Authors: Wiegand, Iris, Töllner, Thomas, Habekost, Thomas, Dyrholm, Mads, Müller, Hermann J, Finke, Kathrin
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Attention - physiology
Brain - physiology
Electroencephalography
Evoked Potentials
Female
Functional Laterality
Humans
Individuality
Male
Memory, Short-Term - physiology
Models, Neurological
Neuropsychological Tests
Visual Perception - physiology
Young Adult
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Summary:An individual's visual attentional capacity is characterized by 2 central processing resources, visual perceptual processing speed and visual short-term memory (vSTM) storage capacity. Based on Bundesen's theory of visual attention (TVA), independent estimates of these parameters can be obtained from mathematical modeling of performance in a whole report task. The framework's neural interpretation (NTVA) further suggests distinct brain mechanisms underlying these 2 functions. Using an interindividual difference approach, the present study was designed to establish the respective ERP correlates of both parameters. Participants with higher compared to participants with lower processing speed were found to show significantly reduced visual N1 responses, indicative of higher efficiency in early visual processing. By contrast, for participants with higher relative to lower vSTM storage capacity, contralateral delay activity over visual areas was enhanced while overall nonlateralized delay activity was reduced, indicating that holding (the maximum number of) items in vSTM relies on topographically specific sustained activation within the visual system. Taken together, our findings show that the 2 main aspects of visual attentional capacity are reflected in separable neurophysiological markers, validating a central assumption of NTVA.
ISSN:1047-3211
1460-2199
DOI:10.1093/cercor/bht071