Effects of attention and perceptual uncertainty on cerebellar activity during visual motion perception
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1
The University of Queensland, Queensland Brain Institute, Australia
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2
The University of Queensland, Queensland Brain Institute and School of Psychology, Australia
Recent research suggests that the cerebellum plays an important role in the processing of visual motion, but the nature of its contribution is unknown. Some studies point to a role in discriminating motion signals under conditions of high perceptual uncertainty. Others suggest that it might facilitate motion perception by aiding attentive tracking of visual objects. We aimed to determine the degree to which cerebellar activity during visual motion perception can be explained by a role in aiding attentive tracking of visual motion, in contrast to a role in facilitating visual motion discrimination under levels of high perceptual uncertainty. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we monitored neural activity in the cerebellum while 18 participants engaged in a task, which required them to identify and covertly monitor a directional visual motion signal in noise. The stimuli were random-dot arrays containing a central stationary fixation spot whose colour alternated periodically. While holding the visual displays constant, we manipulated attention by having participants attend covertly to the dot motion or the coloured spot at fixation. Perceptual uncertainty was manipulated by varying the percentage of coherently moving dots contained within the random-dot arrays. Image processing and statistical analyses were performed using SPM8, at a significance-threshold of p=0.05 (FWE-corrected). We found that attention to motion under high perceptual uncertainty was associated with activity in two left hemispheric cerebellar clusters. The first was located at the border between lobules VI and crus I. The second cluster was located at the border between lobules crus II and VIIB. Our results support the notion that the cerebellum facilitates the detection and discrimination of moving objects under conditions of high perceptual uncertainty, but are inconsistent with the idea that the cerebellum is crucial for sustained attentive tracking of salient motion stimuli.
Keywords:
Attention,
Cerebellum,
Visual Perception,
fMRI,
motion discrimination
Conference:
XII International Conference on Cognitive Neuroscience (ICON-XII), Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, 27 Jul - 31 Jul, 2014.
Presentation Type:
Oral Presentation
Topic:
Sensation and Perception
Citation:
Baumann
O and
Mattingley
JB
(2015). Effects of attention and perceptual uncertainty on cerebellar activity during visual motion perception.
Conference Abstract:
XII International Conference on Cognitive Neuroscience (ICON-XII).
doi: 10.3389/conf.fnhum.2015.217.00004
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Received:
19 Feb 2015;
Published Online:
24 Apr 2015.
*
Correspondence:
Dr. Oliver Baumann, The University of Queensland, Queensland Brain Institute, Brisbane, Australia, obaumann@bond.edu.au