Correlated variability and its attentional modulation depend on anatomical connectivity.

Visual cortical neurons show variability in their responses to repeated presentations of a stimulus and a portion of this variability is shared across neurons. Attention may enhance visual perception by reducing shared spiking variability. However, shared variability and its attentional modulation are not consistent within or across cortical areas, and depend on additional factors such as neuronal type. A critical factor that has not been tested is actual anatomical connectivity. We measured spike count correlations among pairs of simultaneously recorded neurons in the primary visual cortex (V1) for which anatomical connectivity was inferred from spiking cross-correlations. Neurons were recorded in monkeys performing a contrast-change discrimination task requiring covert shifts in visual spatial attention. Accordingly, spike count correlations were compared across trials in which attention was directed toward or away from the visual stimulus overlapping recorded neuronal receptive fields. Consistent with prior findings, attention did not significantly alter spike count correlations among random pairings of unconnected V1 neurons. However, V1 neurons connected via excitatory synapses showed a significant reduction in spike count correlations with attention. Interestingly, V1 neurons connected via inhibitory synapses demonstrated high spike count correlations overall that were not modulated by attention. Correlated variability in excitatory circuits also depended upon neuronal tuning for contrast, the task-relevant stimulus feature. These results indicate that shared variability depends on the type of connectivity in neuronal circuits. Also, attention significantly reduces shared variability in excitatory circuits, even when attention effects on randomly sampled neurons within the same area are weak.

The Role of the Cerebellum in Visual-Spatial Memory in Pediatric Posterior Fossa Tumor Survivors.

The cerebellum is involved in motor and non-motor functions. Cerebellar lesions can underlie the disruption of various executive functions. The violation of executive functions in cerebellar lesions is a serious problem, since children, after completing treatment, must return to school, finish their education, and get a profession. One of the important executive functions is working memory, which contributes to academic success. Deficits of verbal working memory in cerebellar tumors have been studied, in contrast to visual-spatial working memory. To assess this issue, 101 patients who survived cerebellar tumors and 100 healthy control subjects performed a visual-spatial working memory test. As a result, in children who survived cerebellar tumors, visual-spatial working memory is impaired compared to the control group. Moreover, with age, and hence the time since the end of treatment, the number of elements that children can retain in visual-spatial working memory increases, but still remains smaller compared to the control group. Our findings complement the idea of cerebellar involvement in visual-spatial working memory and suggest that it is disrupted by cerebellar lesions in children.

New Insights into the Neuropsychological Profile and Intellectual Quotient Variability in Joubert Syndrome Compared to Other Congenital Cerebellar Malformations.

The neuropsychological characteristics of the cerebellar cognitive affective syndrome (CCAS) in congenital, non-progressive malformations of the cerebellum have been scarcely investigated, and even less is known for Joubert syndrome (JS), an inherited, non-progressive cerebellar ataxia characterized by the so-called molar tooth sign. The few studies on this topic reported inconsistent results about intellectual functioning and specific neuropsychological impairments. The aim of this research is to examine the neuropsychological profile of JS compared to other congenital cerebellar malformations (CM), considering individual variability of intellectual quotient (IQ) in the two groups. Fourteen patients with JS and 15 patients with CM aged 6-25 years were tested through a comprehensive, standardized neuropsychological battery. Their scores in the neuropsychological domains were inspected through descriptive analysis and compared by mean of MANOVA and ANOVA models, then replicated inserting IQ as covariate. The two groups showed a largely overlapping neuropsychological profile, consistent with CCAS. However, the JS group showed worse performance in visual-spatial memory compared to CM patients, although this difference was mitigated when considering IQ. These findings highlight a divergence between JS and other CM in visual-spatial memory, which might suggest a critical role of the cerebellum in recalling task-relevant memories and might inform rehabilitative interventions.

A bird's eye view of the hippocampus beyond space: Behavioral, neuroanatomical, and neuroendocrine perspectives.

Although the hippocampus is one of the most-studied brain regions in mammals, research on the avian hippocampus has been more limited in scope. It is generally agreed that the hippocampus is an ancient feature of the amniote brain, and therefore homologous between the two lineages. Because birds and mammals are evolutionarily not very closely related, any shared anatomy is likely to be crucial for shared functions of their hippocampi. These functions, in turn, are likely to be essential if they have been conserved for over 300 million years. Therefore, research on the avian hippocampus can help us understand how this brain region evolved and how it has changed over evolutionary time. Further, there is a strong research foundation in birds on hippocampal-supported behaviors such as spatial navigation, food caching, and brood parasitism that scientists can build upon to better understand how hippocampal anatomy, network circuitry, endocrinology, and physiology can help control these behaviors. In this review, we summarize our current understanding of the avian hippocampus in spatial cognition as well as in regulating anxiety, approach-avoidance behavior, and stress responses. Although there are still some questions about the exact number of subdivisions in the avian hippocampus and how that might vary in different avian families, there is intriguing evidence that the avian hippocampus might have complementary functional profiles along the rostral-caudal axis similar to the dorsal-ventral axis of the rodent hippocampus, where the rostral/dorsal hippocampus is more involved in cognitive processes like spatial learning and the caudal/ventral hippocampus regulates emotional states, anxiety, and the stress response. Future research should focus on elucidating the cellular and molecular mechanisms - including endocrinological - in the avian hippocampus that underlie behaviors such as spatial navigation, spatial memory, and anxiety-related behaviors, and in so doing, resolve outstanding questions about avian hippocampal function and organization.

Independence and synergy of spatial attention in the two visual systems of jumping spiders.

By selectively focusing on a specific portion of the environment, animals can solve the problem of information overload, toning down irrelevant inputs and concentrating only on the relevant ones. This may be of particular relevance for animals such as the jumping spider, which possess a wide visual field of almost 360° and thus could benefit from a low-cost system for sharpening attention. Jumping spiders have a modular visual system composed of four pairs of eyes, of which only the two frontal eyes (i.e., AMEs) are motile, whereas the other secondary pairs remain immobile. We hypothesized that jumping spiders can exploit both principal and secondary eyes for stimulus detection and attentional shift, with the two systems working synergistically. In Experiment 1 we investigated AMEs' attentional responses following a spatial cue presented to the secondary eyes. In Experiment 2, we tested for enhanced attention in the secondary eyes' visual field congruent with the direction of the AMEs' focus. In both experiments, we observed that animals were faster and more accurate in detecting a target when it appeared in a direction opposite to that of the initial cue. In contrast with our initial hypothesis, these results would suggest that attention is segregated across eyes, with each system working on compensating the other by attending to different spatial locations.

Impact of distinct cognitive domains on gait variability in individuals with mild cognitive impairment and dementia.

BACKGROUND: Gait variability is a common feature in neurodegenerative diseases and has been linked to cognitive impairment. Despite this link, the influence of specific cognitive domains, such as memory, visual spatial skills, executive function, and verbal function on gait variability is not well-understood. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the predictive value of these specific cognitive domains on gait variability in people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia during preferred and dual task walking. METHOD: One hundred and two participants with either MCI or dementia underwent a comprehensive cognitive assessment and completed preferred and dual-task walking trials on a pressure-sensing walkway. Gait variability was assessed using the PKMAS software. Lower extremity function was evaluated with a self-reported validated scale. RESULTS: Our findings indicate that only visual spatial abilities had a moderate predictive value on gait variability [F (1, 78) = 17.30, p < 0.01, r = 0.43], both in preferred pace walking (70% direct effect) and dual-task walking (90% direct effect) (p's < 0.05). Additionally, lower extremity functional skills had a significant indirect effect (30%) on gait variability in preferred walking contexts. CONCLUSION: For individuals diagnosed with MCI or dementia, increased gait variability may be driven by deficits in visual spatial processing. An increased understanding of the role of visual spatial processing in gait variability can aid in the assessment and management of individuals with MCI or dementia, potentially leading to targeted interventions to improve mobility and safety.

Effects of undergraduate ultrasound education on cross-sectional image understanding and visual-spatial ability - a prospective study.

INTRODUCTION/AIM: Radiological imaging is crucial in modern clinical practice and requires thorough and early training. An understanding of cross-sectional imaging is essential for effective interpretation of such imaging. This study examines the extent to which completing an undergraduate ultrasound course has positive effects on the development of visual-spatial ability, knowledge of anatomical spatial relationships, understanding of radiological cross-sectional images, and theoretical ultrasound competencies. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This prospective observational study was conducted at a medical school with 3rd year medical students as part of a voluntary extracurricular ultrasound course. The participants completed evaluations (7-level Likert response formats and dichotomous questions "yes/no") and theoretical tests at two time points (T1 = pre course; T2 = post course) to measure their subjective and objective cross-sectional imaging skills competencies. A questionnaire on baseline values and previous experience identified potential influencing factors. RESULTS: A total of 141 participants were included in the study. Most participants had no previous general knowledge of ultrasound diagnostics (83%), had not yet performed a practical ultrasound examination (87%), and had not attended any courses on sonography (95%). Significant subjective and objective improvements in competencies were observed after the course, particularly in the subjective sub-area of "knowledge of anatomical spatial relationships" (p = 0.009). Similarly, participants showed improvements in the objective sub-areas of "theoretical ultrasound competencies" (p < 0.001), "radiological cross-section understanding and knowledge of anatomical spatial relationships in the abdomen" (p < 0.001), "visual-spatial ability in radiological cross-section images" (p < 0.001), and "visual-spatial ability" (p = 0.020). CONCLUSION: Ultrasound training courses can enhance the development of visual-spatial ability, knowledge of anatomical spatial relationships, radiological cross-sectional image understanding, and theoretical ultrasound competencies. Due to the reciprocal positive effects of the training, students should receive radiology training at an early stage of their studies to benefit as early as possible from the improved skills, particularly in the disciplines of anatomy and radiology.

Ocular and neural genes jointly regulate the visuospatial working memory in ADHD children.

OBJECTIVE: Working memory (WM) deficits have frequently been linked to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Despite previous studies suggested its high heritability, its genetic basis, especially in ADHD, remains unclear. The current study aimed to comprehensively explore the genetic basis of visual-spatial working memory (VSWM) in ADHD using wide-ranging genetic analyses. METHODS: The current study recruited a cohort consisted of 802 ADHD individuals, all met DSM-IV ADHD diagnostic criteria. VSWM was assessed by Rey-Osterrieth complex figure test (RCFT), which is a widely used psychological test include four memory indexes: detail delayed (DD), structure delayed (SD), structure immediate (SI), detail immediate (DI). Genetic analyses were conducted at the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), gene, pathway, polygenic and protein network levels. Polygenic Risk Scores (PRS) were based on summary statistics of various psychiatric disorders, including ADHD, autism spectrum disorder (ASD), major depressive disorder (MDD), schizophrenia (SCZ), obsessive compulsive disorders (OCD), and substance use disorder (SUD). RESULTS: Analyses at the single-marker level did not yield significant results (5E-08). However, the potential signals with P values less than E-05 and their mapped genes suggested the regulation of VSWM involved both ocular and neural system related genes, moreover, ADHD-related genes were also involved. The gene-based analysis found RAB11FIP1, whose encoded protein modulates several neurodevelopment processes and visual system, as significantly associated with DD scores (P = 1.96E-06, Padj = 0.036). Candidate pathway enrichment analyses (N = 53) found that forebrain neuron fate commitment significantly enriched in DD (P = 4.78E-04, Padj = 0.025), and dopamine transport enriched in SD (P = 5.90E-04, Padj = 0.031). We also observed a significant negative relationship between DD scores and ADHD PRS scores (P = 0.0025, Empirical P = 0.048). CONCLUSIONS: Our results emphasized the joint contribution of ocular and neural genes in regulating VSWM. The study reveals a shared genetic basis between ADHD and VSWM, with GWAS indicating the involvement of ADHD-related genes in VSWM. Additionally, the PRS analysis identifies a significant relationship between ADHD-PRS and DD scores. Overall, our findings shed light on the genetic basis of VSWM deficits in ADHD, and may have important implications for future research and clinical practice.

A comprehensive assessment of neurocognitive and psychological functioning in adults with early-treated phenylketonuria.

OBJECTIVE: Relative to youth with early-treated phenylketonuria (ETPKU), much less is known regarding the cognitive profile of adults with ETPKU. The present study aimed to address this gap by providing a comprehensive assessment of neuropsychological functioning among adults with ETPKU. METHOD: A sample of 40 adults with ETPKU (ages 18 - 36) and a demographically matched group of 32 healthy individuals without PKU participated. Participants completed a comprehensive neuropsychological battery including the NIH Toolbox, Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence - Second Edition (WASI-II), Conners' Continuous Performance Test (CPT-3), select subtests from the Weschler Adult Intelligence Scale - Fourth Edition (WAIS-IV) as well as several self-report measures of cognitive and psychoemotional functioning. Scores from these tests were combined to create cognitive composites reflecting overall task performance in the areas of verbal ability, visuospatial skills, executive functioning, motor skills, and processing speed. RESULTS: No group differences were observed for full scale IQ or verbal ability. However, individuals with ETPKU demonstrated poorer performance on measures of executive functioning, processing speed, motor skills, and visuospatial skills as compared to the non-PKU group. Within the ETPKU group, recent blood phenylalanine levels (an indicator of metabolic control) were significantly correlated with performance across most cognitive domains and aspects of psychological functioning. CONCLUSIONS: Present findings suggest that the neuropsychological profile of adult ETPKU is characterized by circumscribed impairments in select cognitive domains. In addition, the results underscore the importance of maintaining metabolic control across the lifespan in individuals with ETPKU.

The neurovascular couplings between electrophysiological and hemodynamic activities in anticipatory selective attention.

Selective attention is thought to involve target enhancement and distractor inhibition processes. Here, we recorded simultaneous electroencephalographic (EEG) and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) data from human adults when they were pre-cued by the visual field of coming target, distractor, or both of them. From the EEG data, we found alpha power relatively decreased contralaterally to the to-be-attended target, as reflected by the positive-going alpha modulation index. Late alpha power relatively increased contralaterally to the to-be-suppressed distractor, as reflected by the negative-going alpha modulation index. From the fNIRS data, we found enhancements of hemodynamic activity over the contralateral hemisphere in response to both the target and the distractor anticipation but within nonoverlapping posterior brain regions. More importantly, we described the specific neurovascular modulation between alpha power and oxygenated hemoglobin signal, which showed a positive coupling effect during target anticipation and a negative coupling effect during distractor anticipation. Such flexible neurovascular couplings between EEG oscillation and hemodynamic activity seem to play an essential role in the final behavioral outcomes. These results provide unique neurovascular evidence for the dissociation of the mechanisms of target enhancement and distractor inhibition. Individual behavioral differences can be related to individual differences in neurovascular coupling.

Private speech improves cognitive performance in young adults.

The current study investigated the relationship between private speech usage and cognitive performance in young adults. Participants (n = 103, mean age = 20.21 years) were instructed to complete a visual-spatial working memory task while talking out loud to themselves as much as possible (Private Speech condition). We found that participants performed better on trials for which they produced a greater amount of private speech. To establish causality, we further found that participants performed better in the Private Speech condition than in a condition in which they were instructed to remain silent (Quiet condition). These beneficial effects of private speech were not moderated by task difficulty, which was manipulated by varying image labelability. However, participants who used more private speech during the task, as well as those who reported greater use of self-management private speech in everyday life, showed the greatest benefits. These findings have implications for real-world educational/instructional settings.

Private speech amount positively predicts memory performance in young adults.

This study used a card-matching game that relies on visual-spatial working memory to investigate whether the amount one talks out loud to themselves (referred to as private speech) predicts cognitive performance in young adults (n = 118, mean age = 20.13 years). Each participant's performance was measured in two "Private Speech" trials, in which they were instructed to complete the game efficiently, while using private speech as much as they can. Using multilevel modeling, we found that participants performed significantly better on trials for which they produced more private speech. This relationship was not moderated by baseline competency on the task (measured in a condition where participants were not instructed to use, and rarely ever used, private speech). The study shows that the degree to which adults use private speech - when instructed to do so, is associated with cognitive performance, which may have important implications for educational/instructional settings.

Understanding visual-spatial perceptual deficits in individuals with multiple sclerosis: an analysis of patient performance on the Hooper Visual Organization Test and Visual Form Discrimination.

Purpose: Although the cognitive sequelae of multiple sclerosis have been recognized for more than four decades, the focus of research has been on studying the more common deficits of the disease, including those involving memory and information processing speed. Less understood and investigated are the visual-spatial perceptual disturbances of multiple sclerosis, which can be difficult to assess and interpret given the potential confounds associated with the physical problems and other cognitive disturbances of the disorder.Materials and methods: This study examined the visual-spatial perceptual deficits of multiple sclerosis in 40 participants diagnosed with this condition using two measures generally unaffected by the aforementioned confounds, the Hooper Visual Organization Test and Visual Form Discrimination.Results: Results revealed both measures to be sensitive to the impairments of multiple sclerosis but suggested that they are assessing somewhat different aspects of visual-spatial perception in this population, given their relationship with one another and with disease-related variables.Conclusions: In this light, findings indicate that a complete and accurate understanding of the visual-spatial perceptual sequelae of multiple sclerosis requires the administration of more than a single measure.

Visual perception and linguistic abilities, not quantitative knowledge, count in geometric knowledge of kindergarten children.

Geometric knowledge is one of the important mathematical skills acquired by children at a young age and is a major area of future mathematical learning; however, there is no direct research on the factors influencing kindergarteners' early geometric knowledge. The pathways model to mathematics was modified to examine the cognitive mechanisms underlying geometric knowledge in Chinese kindergarten children aged 5-7 (n = 99). Quantitative knowledge, visual-spatial processing, and linguistic abilities were stepped into hierarchical multiple regression models. The results revealed that after age, sex, and nonverbal intelligence were statistically controlled, visual perception, phonological awareness, and rapid automatized naming in linguistic abilities significantly predicted the variation in geometric knowledge. For quantitative knowledge, neither dot comparison nor number comparison test could be a significant precursor of geometry skills. The findings indicate that visual perception and linguistic abilities, not quantitative knowledge, account for the geometric knowledge of kindergarten children.

Performance Baseline of Phase Transfer Entropy Methods for Detecting Animal Brain Area Interactions.

Objective: Phase transfer entropy (TEθ) methods perform well in animal sensory-spatial associative learning. However, their advantages and disadvantages remain unclear, constraining their usage. Method: This paper proposes the performance baseline of the TEθ methods. Specifically, four TEθ methods are applied to the simulated signals generated by a neural mass model and the actual neural data from ferrets with known interaction properties to investigate the accuracy, stability, and computational complexity of the TEθ methods in identifying the directional coupling. Then, the most suitable method is selected based on the performance baseline and used on the local field potential recorded from pigeons to detect the interaction between the hippocampus (Hp) and nidopallium caudolaterale (NCL) in visual-spatial associative learning. Results: (1) This paper obtains a performance baseline table that contains the most suitable method for different scenarios. (2) The TEθ method identifies an information flow preferentially from Hp to NCL of pigeons at the θ band (4-12 Hz) in visual-spatial associative learning. Significance: These outcomes provide a reference for the TEθ methods in detecting the interactions between brain areas.

[Investigation of visuospatial memory in obsessive-compulsive disorder using the Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure Test].

Based on previous results the cognitive profile of patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is determined by the impairment of executive and visual-spatial memory functions. The Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure (ROCF) is a widely used tool for examining visual-spatial memory disorders. Several scoring systems can be used to evaluate the ROCF and the most widespread is the original Osterrieth evaluation system. The Boston Qualitative Scoring System (BQSS) is a new, much more detailed scoring system than the Osterrieth, which allows both quantitative and a more detailed qualitative analysis of ROCF. In our study, we analyzed the copying and immediate recall performance of 24 OCD and 24 age- and education-matched healthy control subjects using the Osterrieth and BQSS scoring systems. Our research had two main goals, (1) to examine the diff erences in visualspatial memory performance shown by the OCD group compared to the control group, and (2) to compare the Osterrieth and BQSS scoring systems in one clinical sample. Based on both the Osterrieth and BQSS scoring systems, our results show that the OCD group performed significantly worse in the recall phase, but not in the copy phase. According to our results both scoring systems can be effectively used to examine the functioning of visual-spatial memory in OCD patients. While the Osterrieth evaluation system is faster and more widespread, the BQSS scoring system examines detailed qualitative aspects in addition to quantitative indicators.

Effect of sustained selective attention on steady-state visual evoked potentials.

Visual-spatial selective attention enhances the processing of task-relevant visual events while suppressing the processing of irrelevant ones. In this study, we employed a frequency-tagging paradigm to investigate how sustained visual-spatial attention modulates the first harmonic and second harmonic steady-state visual evoked potentials (SSVEPs). Unlike previous studies, that investigated stimulation durations of 10 s or less, we tested a 30-s period. SSVEPs were elicited by simultaneously presenting to the right and left visual hemifields two pattern reversal checkerboard stimuli modulating at 7.14 Hz and 11.11 Hz. Participants were cued to selectively attend to one visual hemifield while ignoring the other. Behavioral results indicated that participants selectively attended to the cued visual hemifield. When participants attended to the visual stimuli, there were larger second harmonic SSVEPs but no attentional modulation of first harmonics. The results are consistent with the proposal that neural populations underlying first, and second harmonics have distinct functional roles, i.e., first harmonics' mechanisms preserve stimulus properties and are resistant to attentional gain, whereas second harmonics mediate attentional modulation. This interpretation is supported by a gain control theory of selective attention.

Developmental changes in neural lateralization for visual-spatial function: Evidence from a line-bisection task.

Studies of hemispheric specialization have traditionally cast the left hemisphere as specialized for language and the right hemisphere for spatial function. Much of the supporting evidence for this separation of function comes from studies of healthy adults and those who have sustained lesions to the right or left hemisphere. However, we know little about the developmental origins of lateralization. Recent evidence suggests that the young brain represents language bilaterally, with 4-6-year-olds activating the left-hemisphere regions known to support language in adults as well as homotopic regions in the right hemisphere. This bilateral pattern changes over development, converging on left-hemispheric activation in late childhood. In the present study, we ask whether this same developmental trajectory is observed in a spatial task that is strongly right-lateralized in adults-the line bisection (or "Landmark") task. We examined fMRI activation among children ages 5-11 years as they were asked to judge which end of a bisected vertical line was longer. We found that young children showed bilateral activation, with activation in the same areas of the right hemisphere as has been shown among adults, as well as in the left hemisphere homotopic regions. By age 10, activation was right-lateralized. This strongly resembles the developmental trajectory for language, moving from bilateral to lateralized activation. We discuss potential underlying mechanisms and suggest that understanding the development of lateralization for a range of cognitive functions can play a crucial role in understanding general principles of how and why the brain comes to lateralize certain functions.

Remembering nothing: Encoding and memory processes involved in representing empty locations.

Previous research has provided rich evidence that a set of visual objects can be encoded in isolation along with their exact coordinate positions as well as a global configuration that provides a network of interrelated spatial information. However, much less data is available on how unoccupied locations are encoded and maintained in memory. We tested this ability in adults using a novel paradigm that involved both empty and filled locations and required participants to monitor the addition or deletion of an item, which occurred 50% of the time. Crucially, a number of locations remained hidden to the participant-thus, information on the absence of an item at a location could not be inferred from the presence of items elsewhere. We used eye-tracking to measure the proportion of target looking during encoding and the amount of pupil dilation during memory retention. Participants looked significantly longer at filled compared with empty targets, and target looking during encoding only predicted accuracy in case of filled targets. Increased pupil dilation was observed in response to an increasing number of items, while pupil diameter was unaffected by the number of empty locations. In addition, participants made significantly more errors in the conditions that involved the representation of an empty location. Our findings support the view that human adults encode exact coordinates of items in memory. In contrast, we suggest that empty locations are represented as a property of the global configuration of items and empty space, and not as independent units of information.

Laminar perfusion imaging with zoomed arterial spin labeling at 7 Tesla.

Laminar fMRI based on BOLD and CBV contrast at ultrahigh magnetic fields has been applied for studying the dynamics of mesoscopic brain networks. However, the quantitative interpretations of BOLD/CBV fMRI results are confounded by different baseline physiology across cortical layers. Here we introduce a novel 3D zoomed pseudo-continuous arterial spin labeling (pCASL) technique at 7T that offers the capability for quantitative measurements of laminar cerebral blood flow (CBF) both at rest and during task activation with high spatial specificity and sensitivity. We found arterial transit time in superficial layers is ∼100 ms shorter than in middle/deep layers revealing the time course of labeled blood flowing from pial arteries to downstream microvasculature. Resting state CBF peaked in the middle layers which is highly consistent with microvascular density measured from human cortex specimens. Finger tapping induced a robust two-peak laminar profile of CBF increases in the superficial (somatosensory and premotor input) and deep (spinal output) layers of M1, while finger brushing task induced a weaker CBF increase in superficial layers (somatosensory input). This observation is highly consistent with reported laminar profiles of CBV activation on M1. We further demonstrated that visuospatial attention induced a predominant CBF increase in deep layers and a smaller CBF increase on top of the lower baseline CBF in superficial layers of V1 (feedback cortical input), while stimulus driven activity peaked in the middle layers (feedforward thalamic input). With the capability for quantitative CBF measurements both at baseline and during task activation, high-resolution ASL perfusion fMRI at 7T provides an important tool for in vivo assessment of neurovascular function and metabolic activities of neural circuits across cortical layers.