Trees over Forest: Unpleasant Stimuli Compete for Attention with Global Features

Overview

Journal Neuroreport

Specialty Neurology

Date 2010 Feb 20

PMID 20168261

Citations 9

Authors

Kaisa M Hartikainen

Keith H Ogawa

Robert T Knight

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Whether emotional distracters call for attentional resources has been discussed in several studies. We have earlier shown that brief unpleasant distracters captured right hemisphere (RH) attentional resources as evidenced with reduced event-related potential responses and increased reaction times to nonemotional left visual field/RH targets. The aim of this study was to investigate whether emotional distracters selectively interfere with processes predominantly relying on the RH such as processing global visual features. Evoked potentials were recorded from 18 participants carrying out a visual discrimination task engaging global RH and local left hemisphere-dependent processes. Unpleasant distracters reduced global target detection-related right parietal activity. We conclude that brief unpleasant distracters compete for RH attentional resources with global level processing.

Citing Articles

Emotion-Attention Interaction in the Right Hemisphere.

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Emotional Modulation of Frontal Alpha Asymmetry - a Novel Biomarker of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury.

Kuusinen V, Perakyla J, Sun L, Ogawa K, Hartikainen K Front Hum Neurosci. 2021; 15:699947.

PMID: 34354578 PMC: 8329358. DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2021.699947.

Threat-Modulation of Executive Functions-A Novel Biomarker of Depression?.

Perakyla J, Jarventausta K, Haapaniemi P, Camprodon J, Hartikainen K Front Psychiatry. 2021; 12:670974.

PMID: 34276442 PMC: 8283506. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.670974.

Reduced Frontal Nogo-N2 With Uncompromised Response Inhibition During Transcutaneous Vagus Nerve Stimulation-More Efficient Cognitive Control?.

Pihlaja M, Failla L, Perakyla J, Hartikainen K Front Hum Neurosci. 2020; 14:561780.

PMID: 33132877 PMC: 7573492. DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2020.561780.

Orbitofrontal Lesion Alters Brain Dynamics of Emotion-Attention and Emotion-Cognitive Control Interaction in Humans.

Kuusinen V, cesnaite E, Perakyla J, Ogawa K, Hartikainen K Front Hum Neurosci. 2018; 12:437.

PMID: 30443211 PMC: 6221981. DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2018.00437.

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