Biomaterial Database

Early selective-attention effects on the evoked potential: a critical review and reinterpretation. 1979

R Näätänen, and P T Michie

Recent research on the effect of selective attention on the N1, component of the evoked potential is reviewed. These studies are based on the finding of Hillyard Hink, Schwent and Picton (1973) that this component is selectively enhanced in response to attended stimuli when a very rapid rate of stimulus delivery is used. On the basis of the subsequent set of experiments, the conditions and limits of the existence of the auditory 'N1 effect' are now quite clear. Moreover, this finding has been extended to somatosensory and visual modalities. In the present review a detailed examination of these studies has suggested a re-interpretation of the N1 effect. According to this reinterpretation, it is not a 'true' N1 component which is enhanced but the effect is produced by a summation of a negative shift with the evoked-potential wave form. Under some conditions such as those involving a very fast rate of stimulus delivery, this effect commences very early, making the N1 component appear larger. It is suggested that this shift reflects orienting to, and further processing of, an input found relevant in a preliminary sensory analysis. Topographical evidence for this kind of interpretation is provided by several studies. This negative shift is, hence, associated with voluntary attention. Some of the reviewed studies have described a rather similar negative shift as a correlate of involuntary attention to rare stimuli among the much more frequent, 'standard', stimuli.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008465	Mechanoreceptors	Cells specialized to transduce mechanical stimuli and relay that information centrally in the nervous system. Mechanoreceptor cells include the INNER EAR hair cells, which mediate hearing and balance, and the various somatosensory receptors, often with non-neural accessory structures.	Golgi Tendon Organ,Golgi Tendon Organs,Krause's End Bulb,Krause's End Bulbs,Mechanoreceptor,Mechanoreceptor Cell,Meissner's Corpuscle,Neurotendinous Spindle,Neurotendinous Spindles,Receptors, Stretch,Ruffini's Corpuscle,Ruffini's Corpuscles,Stretch Receptor,Stretch Receptors,Mechanoreceptor Cells,Bulb, Krause's End,Bulbs, Krause's End,Cell, Mechanoreceptor,Cells, Mechanoreceptor,Corpuscle, Meissner's,Corpuscle, Ruffini's,Corpuscles, Ruffini's,End Bulb, Krause's,End Bulbs, Krause's,Krause End Bulb,Krause End Bulbs,Krauses End Bulb,Krauses End Bulbs,Meissner Corpuscle,Meissners Corpuscle,Organ, Golgi Tendon,Organs, Golgi Tendon,Receptor, Stretch,Ruffini Corpuscle,Ruffini Corpuscles,Ruffinis Corpuscle,Ruffinis Corpuscles,Spindle, Neurotendinous,Spindles, Neurotendinous,Tendon Organ, Golgi,Tendon Organs, Golgi
D009119	Muscle Contraction	A process leading to shortening and/or development of tension in muscle tissue. Muscle contraction occurs by a sliding filament mechanism whereby actin filaments slide inward among the myosin filaments.	Inotropism,Muscular Contraction,Contraction, Muscle,Contraction, Muscular,Contractions, Muscle,Contractions, Muscular,Inotropisms,Muscle Contractions,Muscular Contractions
D009434	Neural Pathways	Neural tracts connecting one part of the nervous system with another.	Neural Interconnections,Interconnection, Neural,Interconnections, Neural,Neural Interconnection,Neural Pathway,Pathway, Neural,Pathways, Neural
D009949	Orientation	Awareness of oneself in relation to time, place and person.	Cognitive Orientation,Mental Orientation,Psychological Orientation,Cognitive Orientations,Mental Orientations,Orientation, Cognitive,Orientation, Mental,Orientation, Psychological,Orientations,Orientations, Cognitive,Orientations, Mental,Orientations, Psychological,Psychological Orientations
D011930	Reaction Time	The time from the onset of a stimulus until a response is observed.	Response Latency,Response Speed,Response Time,Latency, Response,Reaction Times,Response Latencies,Response Times,Speed, Response,Speeds, Response
D002540	Cerebral Cortex	The thin layer of GRAY MATTER on the surface of the CEREBRAL HEMISPHERES that develops from the TELENCEPHALON and folds into gyri and sulci. It reaches its highest development in humans and is responsible for intellectual faculties and higher mental functions.	Allocortex,Archipallium,Cortex Cerebri,Cortical Plate,Paleocortex,Periallocortex,Allocortices,Archipalliums,Cerebral Cortices,Cortex Cerebrus,Cortex, Cerebral,Cortical Plates,Paleocortices,Periallocortices,Plate, Cortical
D004292	Dominance, Cerebral	Dominance of one cerebral hemisphere over the other in cerebral functions.	Cerebral Dominance,Hemispheric Specialization,Dominances, Cerebral,Specialization, Hemispheric
D004558	Electric Stimulation	Use of electric potential or currents to elicit biological responses.	Stimulation, Electric,Electrical Stimulation,Electric Stimulations,Electrical Stimulations,Stimulation, Electrical,Stimulations, Electric,Stimulations, Electrical
D005071	Evoked Potentials	Electrical responses recorded from nerve, muscle, SENSORY RECEPTOR, or area of the CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM following stimulation. They range from less than a microvolt to several microvolts. The evoked potential can be auditory (EVOKED POTENTIALS, AUDITORY), somatosensory (EVOKED POTENTIALS, SOMATOSENSORY), visual (EVOKED POTENTIALS, VISUAL), or motor (EVOKED POTENTIALS, MOTOR), or other modalities that have been reported.	Event Related Potential,Event-Related Potentials,Evoked Potential,N100 Evoked Potential,P50 Evoked Potential,N1 Wave,N100 Evoked Potentials,N2 Wave,N200 Evoked Potentials,N3 Wave,N300 Evoked Potentials,N4 Wave,N400 Evoked Potentials,P2 Wave,P200 Evoked Potentials,P50 Evoked Potentials,P50 Wave,P600 Evoked Potentials,Potentials, Event-Related,Event Related Potentials,Event-Related Potential,Evoked Potential, N100,Evoked Potential, N200,Evoked Potential, N300,Evoked Potential, N400,Evoked Potential, P200,Evoked Potential, P50,Evoked Potential, P600,Evoked Potentials, N100,Evoked Potentials, N200,Evoked Potentials, N300,Evoked Potentials, N400,Evoked Potentials, P200,Evoked Potentials, P50,Evoked Potentials, P600,N1 Waves,N2 Waves,N200 Evoked Potential,N3 Waves,N300 Evoked Potential,N4 Waves,N400 Evoked Potential,P2 Waves,P200 Evoked Potential,P50 Waves,P600 Evoked Potential,Potential, Event Related,Potential, Event-Related,Potential, Evoked,Potentials, Event Related,Potentials, Evoked,Potentials, N400 Evoked,Related Potential, Event,Related Potentials, Event,Wave, N1,Wave, N2,Wave, N3,Wave, N4,Wave, P2,Wave, P50,Waves, N1,Waves, N2,Waves, N3,Waves, N4,Waves, P2,Waves, P50
D006181	H-Reflex	A monosynaptic reflex elicited by stimulating a nerve, particularly the tibial nerve, with an electric shock.	H Reflex,H-Reflexes,H Reflexes,Reflex, H