A Simple Dynamical Motif Supports Dual Attentional Modes in Humans and Macaques
Poster No:
2002
Submission Type:
Abstract Submission
Authors:
Rishabh Bapat1, Anagh Pathak2, Arpan Banerjee1
Institutions:
1National Brain Research Centre, Gurugram, Haryana, 2University of Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
First Author:
Co-Author(s):
Introduction:
Research has shown that during sustained attention, rather than being statically elevated, sensitivity to external stimuli periodically waxes and wanes. This is illustrated by studies showing that in the primary auditory cortex, entrainment to a continuous auditory stimulus and power in the alpha band oscillate at the same frequency but in antiphase. Remarkably, in both rhesus macaques (Lakatos et al., 2016) and humans (Kasten et al., 2024), the frequency of these fluctuations was found to be approximately 0.07 Hz. These results, among others, have lead researchers to propose internal and external attentional modes in sustained attention. However, the mechanism underlying these dual attentional modes and whether they result from biological constraints, or are an advantageous cognitive strategy remains unclear. In this work, we engage in the ongoing debate by presenting a dynamical systems model for dual processing modes in which integrative windows correspond to internal attention, while segregative windows correspond to external attention.
·Visual abstract: Overview of dual attentional modes in literature and the mechanism proposed in this article
Methods:
We supported our model of dual attentional modes with a whole brain simulation. The brain was reduced to 1000 areas using the Schaeffer parcellation (Schaefer, 2018). Activity at each area and the interactions between them were simulated using the Kuramoto model. The connection weights between areas were obtained from a public repository and derived from diffusion MRI data using probabilistic tractography (Deco and Kringelbach, 2020). The Intrinsic frequency distribution was created between 8 Hz and 12 Hz, such that the most influential nodes had the lowest frequencies and vice versa. Delay and global coupling were fitted to maximize metastability (variance in network synchronization). Euler integration was then used to generate a phase time series for the network. Synchronisation dynamics were quantified using the Kuramoto Order Parameter (A measure of synchrony that varies between 0 and 1).To test if changes in network synchronization could manifest internal and external attentional modes, a single node with an intrinsic frequency of 5 Hz was coupled to the temporo-parietal network and a 3 Hz oscillator representing an external stimulus. The power at 11 Hz (the frequency of network activity) and 3 Hz (stimulus frequency) were then calculated over time for the node using the continuous wavelet transform. A mechanism whereby cholinergic gain could modulate SCO frequency was tested by scaling the structural connectivity matrix at all indices within the target network by gain values from 1-30. This analysis was repeated using the macaque connectome provided by Shen et al (2019).
·Model overview: Emergence of Slow Coherence Oscillation in the human and macaque connectomes
Results:
In our simulations the human and macaque connectomes naturally generated Slow Coherence Oscillations (SCOs) at 0.07 Hz, precisely matching empirical observations. These SCOs were shown to influence sensitivity to external stimuli via a competitive entrainment mechanism where network activity and sensory afferents compete to entrain sensory nodes. The network exerts a stronger influence during periods of high coherence explaining the antiphase relationship between alpha power and stimulus entrainment observed by Lakatos et al (2016) and Kasten et al (2024). The hierarchically modular topology of the brain is shown to be the dynamical basis for this phenomenon and an analytical expression for SCO frequency is derived. Additionally, we show that Local gain modulation is able to alter SCO frequency, however only in the presence of delays. Finally, the absence of SCOs in scrambled human or macaque connectomes and distant regions of parameter space for coupling and delay, suggest that the human and macaque connectomes may be poised to exhibit SCOs.
Conclusions:
Our study provides a comprehensive dynamical systems explanation for dual attentional modes in sustained attention and may have tapped into a general mechanism of ultra-slow fluctuations that abound in neuroscience literature.
Modeling and Analysis Methods:
EEG/MEG Modeling and Analysis 2
Perception, Attention and Motor Behavior:
Attention: Auditory/Tactile/Motor 1
Keywords:
Computational Neuroscience
Modeling
Other - sustained attention; attentional modes; Kuramoto model
1|2Indicates the priority used for review
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Provide references using APA citation style.
Kasten, F. H. (2024). Opposing neural processing modes alternate rhythmically during sustained auditory attention. Communications Biology, 7(1), 1125.
Lakatos, P. (2016). Global dynamics of selective attention and its lapses in primary auditory cortex. Nature neuroscience, 19(12), 1707-1717.
Shen, K. (2019). A macaque connectome for large-scale network simulations in TheVirtualBrain. Scientific data, 6(1), 123.