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Neural correlates of visual joint attention studied with fMRI

Research Project

Project/Area Number 14580780
Research Category

Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)

Allocation TypeSingle-year Grants
Section一般
Research Field Neuroscience in general
Research InstitutionToyohashi Sozo University

Principal Investigator

KATO Chikako  Toyohashi Sozo College, Department of Management and Information Science, Associate Professor, 経営情報学部, 助教授 (60214384)

Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) NAKAI Toshiharu  National Institute of Advance Industrial Science and Technology, Life Electronics Research Laboratory, Chief researcher, ライフエレクトロニクス研究ラボ, 主任研究員 (30344170)
Project Period (FY) 2002 – 2004
Project Status Completed (Fiscal Year 2004)
Budget Amount *help
¥4,200,000 (Direct Cost: ¥4,200,000)
Fiscal Year 2004: ¥1,000,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,000,000)
Fiscal Year 2003: ¥900,000 (Direct Cost: ¥900,000)
Fiscal Year 2002: ¥2,300,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,300,000)
KeywordsfMRI / Neuroimaging / Joint attention / Visual orienting / eye gaze / index finger / Sex differences / Cueing effect / 核磁気共鳴機能画像 / 注意の転換 / 核磁気共鳴法 / event-related fMRI
Research Abstract

For the present project, three studies were conducted to investigate neural correlates of visual joint attention using fMRI.
First study was consisted of four cueing paradigms using a pattern of eyes (EYE) and an arrow (ARW) as a cue : EYE100 EYE500, ARW100, and ARW500. Subjects were instructed to respond to the target that was presented left or right to the central fixation randomly and irrelevantly to the direction of the precedent cue. Stimulus onset asynchrony of the cue to the target (SOA) was 100 (EYE100 and ARW100) or 500 (EYE500 and ARW500) msec. During EYE500, the left precentral sulcus (prCS) and the left intraparietal sulcus (IPS) were activated in contrast to EYE100. Generally, cueing effects of endogenous orienting at SOA=500 msec decrease in comparison with ones at SOA=100 msec. The result suggested that these areas might be involved in inhibition of responses that follow reflexive orienting induced by uninformative eye gaze.
In the second study, event-related functional ma … More gnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to specify the function of the fronto-parietal network during reflexive orienting induced by eye gaze. Valid cueing of EYE 100 activated the left prCS. The activation was significant in comparison with valid cueing of ARW100. Therefore, the function of the left prCS was specified as motor preparation that would follow reflexive orienting induced by eye gaze. Moreover, invalid cueing of EYE500 activated the right middle frontal gyrus (MFG) and the right inferior parietal lobule (IPL). These areas are involved in reorienting to the actual position where the target has been presented. Mentioned above, since the cueing effects of endogenous orienting decrease at SOA-500 msec, reorienting to the actual target may be facilitated. The right MFG and IPL activation would be corresponding to reorienting to the actual target.
In the third study, an index finger was used as a central cue instead of eyes. As like as the first study, we prepared four cueing paradigms using an index finger (IDX) and an arrow (ARW) as a cue : IDX100, IDX500, ARW100, and ARW500. In this study, the reaction times (RTs) were measured during fMRI scans. Since sex differences were detected in RTs, fMRI data were also analyzed for sex differences. For RT data, the cueing effect of IDX500 shown by males was smaller than one shown by females. For males, activation of the left medial superior frontal gyrus (dSFG) and the left supramarginal gyrus (SMG) was detected during all paradigms except for IDX100. The result suggests that males may succeed in ignoring the uninformative index finger and in inhibition of responses that follow reflexive orienting.
Overall, the present project suggests that 1) the dorsal fronto-parietal attention network may be involved in reflexive orienting by eye gaze and index finger, 2) that inhibition of reflexive orienting by eye gaze and index finger may activate the right ventral fronto-parietal attention network, and 3) activation of these areas may explain sex differences of RTs to eye gaze and index finger. Less

Report

(4 results)
  • 2004 Annual Research Report   Final Research Report Summary
  • 2003 Annual Research Report
  • 2002 Annual Research Report
  • Research Products

    (11 results)

All 2005 2004 2003 Other

All Journal Article (9 results) Publications (2 results)

  • [Journal Article] Pointing with the index finger or an arrow : Differences of activation detected by fMRI2005

    • Author(s)
      Chikako Kato, et al.
    • Journal Title

      Neuroimage

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(和文)」より
    • Related Report
      2004 Final Research Report Summary
  • [Journal Article] Pointing with the index finger or an arrow: Differences of activation detected by fMRI2005

    • Author(s)
      Chikako Kato, et al.
    • Journal Title

      Neuroimage S1234

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(欧文)」より
    • Related Report
      2004 Final Research Report Summary
  • [Journal Article] Pointing with the index finger or an arrow : Differences of activation detected by fMRI2005

    • Author(s)
      Chikako Kato, et al.
    • Journal Title

      Neuroimage (in print)

    • Related Report
      2004 Annual Research Report
  • [Journal Article] Neural correlates of the cueing effect of another person's gaze studied with fMRI2004

    • Author(s)
      Chikako Kato, et al.
    • Journal Title

      Proceedings of the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine

      Pages: 735-735

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(和文)」より
    • Related Report
      2004 Final Research Report Summary
  • [Journal Article] 方向指示図形によって喚起される視覚的注意転換に関わる脳内部位についてのfMRI研究2004

    • Author(s)
      加藤知佳子ほか
    • Journal Title

      第31回日本磁気共鳴医学会大会雑誌 23

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(和文)」より
    • Related Report
      2004 Final Research Report Summary
  • [Journal Article] An event-related fMRI study of reflexive orienting induced by another person's eye gaze2004

    • Author(s)
      Chikako Kato, et al.
    • Journal Title

      Neuroimage 22

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(和文)」より
    • Related Report
      2004 Annual Research Report 2004 Final Research Report Summary
  • [Journal Article] Neural correlates of the cueing effect of another person's gaze2004

    • Author(s)
      Chikako Kato, et al.
    • Journal Title

      Proceedings of the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine

      Pages: 735-735

    • Related Report
      2004 Annual Research Report
  • [Journal Article] Activation corresponding to the cueing effect of gaze : an fMRI study2003

    • Author(s)
      Chikako Kato, et al.
    • Journal Title

      Neuroimage 19

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(和文)」より
    • Related Report
      2004 Final Research Report Summary
  • [Journal Article] Activation corresponding to the cueing effect of gaze : an IMRI study2003

    • Author(s)
      Chikako Kato, et al.
    • Journal Title

      Neuroimage 19

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(欧文)」より
    • Related Report
      2004 Final Research Report Summary
  • [Publications] Chikako Kato, et al.: "An event-related fMRI study of reflexive orienting induced by another person's eye gaze"Neuroimage (in print). (2004)

    • Related Report
      2003 Annual Research Report
  • [Publications] Chikako Kato, et al.: "Activation corresponding to the cueing effect of gaze : an fMRI study"Neuroimage. (in print).

    • Related Report
      2002 Annual Research Report

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Published: 2002-04-01   Modified: 2016-04-21  

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