Hemispheric modulations of the attentional networks

Alfredo Spagna; Diana Martella; Luis J Fuentes; Andrea Marotta; Maria Casagrande

doi:10.1016/j.bandc.2016.07.002

Hemispheric modulations of the attentional networks

Brain Cogn. 2016 Oct:108:73-80. doi: 10.1016/j.bandc.2016.07.002.

Authors

Alfredo Spagna¹, Diana Martella², Luis J Fuentes³, Andrea Marotta⁴, Maria Casagrande⁵

Affiliations

¹ Laboratorio di Psicofisiologia e Neuropsicologia Sperimentale, Department of Psychology, Sapienza, University of Rome, Italy; Cognitive Neuroscience Lab, Department of Psychology, Queens College, The City University of New York, Flushing, NY, USA.
² Facultad de Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades, Universidad Autonoma de Chile, Chile.
³ Facultad de Psicología, Departamiento de Psicología Basíca, Universidad de Murcia, Spain.
⁴ Laboratorio di Psicofisiologia e Neuropsicologia Sperimentale, Department of Psychology, Sapienza, University of Rome, Italy.
⁵ Laboratorio di Psicofisiologia e Neuropsicologia Sperimentale, Department of Psychology, Sapienza, University of Rome, Italy. Electronic address: maria.casagrande@uniroma1.it.

PMID: 27566000
DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2016.07.002

Abstract

Although several recent studies investigated the hemispheric contributions to the attentional networks using the Attention Network Test (ANT), the role of the cerebral hemispheres in modulating the interaction among them remains unclear. In this study, two lateralized versions of this test (LANT) were used to investigate theal effects on the attentional networks under different conflict conditions. One version, the LANTI-A, presented arrows as target and flankers, while the other version, the LANTI-F, had fruits as target and flankers. Data collected from forty-seven participants confirmed well-known results on the efficiency and interactions among the attentional networks. Further, a left visual field advantage was found when a target occurred in an unattended location (e.g. invalid trials), only with the LANTI-F, but not with LANTI-A. The present study adds more evidence to the hemispheric asymmetry of the orienting of attention, and further reveals patterns of interactions between the attentional networks and the visual fields across different conflicting conditions, underlying the dynamic control of attention in complex environments.

Keywords: Alerting; Attention; Executive control; Orienting; Right hemisphere asymmetry; Visual field asymmetries.

MeSH terms

Adult
Attention / physiology*
Executive Function / physiology*
Female
Functional Laterality / physiology*
Humans
Male
Nerve Net / physiology*
Visual Fields / physiology*
Young Adult