Sustained Splits of Attention within versus across Visual Hemifields Produce Distinct Spatial Gain Profiles.

Visual attention can be focused concurrently on two stimuli at noncontiguous locations while intermediate stimuli remain ignored. Nevertheless, behavioral performance in multifocal attention tasks falters when attended stimuli fall within one visual hemifield as opposed to when they are distributed across left and right hemifields. This "different-hemifield advantage" has been ascribed to largely independent processing capacities of each cerebral hemisphere in early visual cortices. Here, we investigated how this advantage influences the sustained division of spatial attention. We presented six isoeccentric light-emitting diodes (LEDs) in the lower visual field, each flickering at a different frequency. Participants attended to two LEDs that were spatially separated by an intermediate LED and responded to synchronous events at to-be-attended LEDs. Task-relevant pairs of LEDs were either located in the same hemifield ("within-hemifield" conditions) or separated by the vertical meridian ("across-hemifield" conditions). Flicker-driven brain oscillations, steady-state visual evoked potentials (SSVEPs), indexed the allocation of attention to individual LEDs. Both behavioral performance and SSVEPs indicated enhanced processing of attended LED pairs during "across-hemifield" relative to "within-hemifield" conditions. Moreover, SSVEPs demonstrated effective filtering of intermediate stimuli in "across-hemifield" condition only. Thus, despite identical physical distances between LEDs of attended pairs, the spatial profiles of gain effects differed profoundly between "across-hemifield" and "within-hemifield" conditions. These findings corroborate that early cortical visual processing stages rely on hemisphere-specific processing capacities and highlight their limiting role in the concurrent allocation of visual attention to multiple locations.

Competitive interactions of attentional resources in early visual cortex during sustained visuospatial attention within or between visual hemifields: evidence for the different-hemifield advantage.

Performing a task across the left and right visual hemifields results in better performance than in a within-hemifield version of the task, termed the different-hemifield advantage. Although recent studies used transient stimuli that were presented with long ISIs, here we used a continuous objective electrophysiological (EEG) measure of competitive interactions for attentional processing resources in early visual cortex, the steady-state visual evoked potential (SSVEP). We frequency-tagged locations in each visual quadrant and at central fixation by flickering light-emitting diodes (LEDs) at different frequencies to elicit distinguishable SSVEPs. Stimuli were presented for several seconds, and participants were cued to attend to two LEDs either in one (Within) or distributed across left and right visual hemifields (Across). In addition, we introduced two reference measures: one for suppressive interactions between the peripheral LEDs by using a task at fixation where attention was withdrawn from the periphery and another estimating the upper bound of SSVEP amplitude by cueing participants to attend to only one of the peripheral LEDs. We found significantly greater SSVEP amplitude modulations in Across compared with Within hemifield conditions. No differences were found between SSVEP amplitudes elicited by the peripheral LEDs when participants attended to the centrally located LEDs compared with when peripheral LEDs had to be ignored in Across and Within trials. Attending to only one LED elicited the same SSVEP amplitude as Across conditions. Although behavioral data displayed a more complex pattern, SSVEP amplitudes were well in line with the predictions of the different-hemifield advantage account during sustained visuospatial attention.

Effects of overt and covert attention on the steady-state visual evoked potential.

Flickering stimuli evoke an oscillatory brain response with the same frequency as the driving stimulus, the so-called steady-state visual evoked potential (SSVEP). SSVEPs are robust brain signals whose amplitudes are enhanced with attention and thus play a major role in the development and use of non-invasive Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs). We compared the modulation of SSVEP amplitudes when subjects directly gazed at a flickering array of static dots (overt attention) to when they covertly shifted attention to the dots keeping their eyes at central fixation. A discrimination task was performed at the attended location to ensure that subjects shifted attention as instructed. Horizontal eye movements (allowed in overt attention but to be avoided in covert attention) were monitored by the horizontal electrooculogram. Subjects' behavioural performance was significantly reduced in covert attention compared to overt attention. Correspondingly, attentional modulation of SSVEP amplitudes by overt attention was larger in magnitude than for covert attention. Overt attention also changed the topographical distribution of SSVEP amplitudes on the scalp. Stimuli elicited the largest amplitudes at central occipital electrodes when they were overtly attended and at contralateral parieto-occipital sites when they were covertly attended. Accordingly, source analysis revealed clear centrally located sources in early visual areas in overt attention, regardless of the attended visual hemifield. Taken together these results affirm that overt and covert attention have qualitatively and quantitatively different effects on SSVEP responses as well as on task performance. Moreover, our results suggest that navigating SSVEP-BCIs with overt attention is more reliable and highlight some of the challenges in developing BCIs for patients who have lost the ability to move their eyes.

Growth differentiation factor-15 deficiency inhibits atherosclerosis progression by regulating interleukin-6-dependent inflammatory response to vascular injury.

BACKGROUND: Growth differentiation factor (GDF)-15 is a distant and divergent member of the transforming growth factor-ß superfamily (TGF-ß) . There is growing evidence indicating the involvement of GDF-15 in various pathologies. Expression of GDF-15 is induced under conditions of inflammation and increased GDF-15 serum levels are suggested as a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. METHODS AND RESULTS: We show here that GDF-15 and proinflammatory cytokine interleukin (IL)-6 levels are highly increased (5-fold) in cultured oxidized low-density lipoproteins-stimulated peritoneal macrophages derived from GDF-15(+/+)/apolipoprotein (apo) E(-/-), mice. Notably, IL-6 induction on oxidized low-density lipoproteins stimulation is completely abolished in the absence of GDF-15. Consistent with our in vitro data GDF-15 mRNA expression and protein levels are upregulated (2.5- to 6-fold) in the atherosclerotic vessel wall of GDF-15(+/+)/apoE(-/-) mice after a cholesterol-enriched diet. GDF-15 deficiency inhibits lumen stenosis (52%) and (18)FDG uptake (34%) in the aortic arch despite increased serum triglyceride/cholesterol levels and elevated body weight. Immunohistomorphometric investigations of atherosclerotic lesions reveal a decreased percentage of inflammatory CD11b(+) (57%) or IL-6(+), leukocytes, and apoptotic cells (74%) after 20 weeks. However, the total number of macrophages and cell density in atherosclerotic lesions of the innominate artery are increased in GDF-15(-/-)/apoE(-/-) mice. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that GDF-15 is involved in orchestrating atherosclerotic lesion progression by regulating apoptotic cell death and IL-6-dependent inflammatory responses to vascular injury.