Rapid Modulation of Sensory Processing Induced by Stimulus Conflict

■ Humans are constantly confronted with environmental stimuli that conflict with task goals and can interfere with successful behavior. Prevailing theories propose the existence of cognitive control mechanisms that can suppress the processing of conflicting input and enhance that of the relevant input. However, the temporal cascade of brain processes invoked in response to conflicting stimuli remains poorly understood. By examining evoked electrical brain responses in a novel, hemifield-specific, visualflanker task, we demonstrate that task-irrelevant conflicting stimulus input is quickly detected in higher level executive regions while simultaneously inducing rapid, recurrent modulation of sensory processing in the visual cortex. Importantly, however, both of these effects are larger for individuals with greater incongruencyrelated RT slowing. The combination of neural activation patterns and behavioral interference effects suggest that this initial sensory modulation induced by co...

• Type: Journal
• Year: 2011
• Where: JOCN
• Authors: Lawrence G. Appelbaum, David V. Smith, Carsten Nicolas Boehler, Wen D. Chen, Marty G. Woldorff
• Keywords: Interference Effects, JOCN 2011, Sensory Modulation, Visual Cortex