Evidence for an active handoff between cerebral hemispheres during target tracking

Authors: Matthew B. Broschard, Jefferson E. Roy, Scott L. Brincat, Meredith K. Mahnke, Earl K. Miller

Abstract:
The brain has somewhat separate cognitive resources for the left and right sides of our visual field. Despite this lateralization, we have a smooth and unified perception of our environment. This raises the question of how the cerebral hemispheres are coordinated to transfer information between them. We recorded neural activity in the lateral prefrontal cortex, bilaterally, as non-human primates covertly tracked a target that moved from one visual hemifield (i.e., from one hemisphere) to the other. Beta (15 to 30 Hz) power, gamma (30 to 80 Hz) power, and spiking information reflected sensory processing of the target. By contrast, alpha (10 to15 Hz) power, theta (4 to10 Hz) power, and spiking information seemed to reflect an active handoff of attention as target information was transferred between hemispheres. Specifically, alpha power and spiking information ramped up in anticipation of the hemifield cross. Theta power peaked after the cross, signaling its completion. Our results support an active hand-off of information between hemispheres. This handshaking operation may be critical for minimizing information loss, much like how mobile towers handshake when transferring calls between them.

Read the pre-print here.

You might also like

Stimulus-specific recruitment of human amygdala neurons predicts episodic memory encoding success

Jessica Nani

Authors: Jiayang Xiao, Jonathan Daume, Yousef Salimpour, Natalia Kurilenko, Clayton Mosher, William S. Anderson, Taufik A. Valiante, Adam N. Mamelak, […]

Distinct contributions of memorability and object recognition to the representational goals of the macaque inferior temporal cortex

Jessica Nani

Authors: Soroush Ziaee, Ram Ahuja, Sabine Muzellec, Ezgi Fide, R. Shayna Rosenbaum, Kohitij Kar Abstract: The primate inferior temporal (IT) cortex, at the apex of the ventral visual stream, encodes information […]

Preparatory encoding of diverse features of intended movement in the human motor cortex

Jessica Nani

Authors: Mattia Rigotti-Thompson, Samuel R. Nason-Tomaszewski, Payton Bechefsky, Alexander Acosta, Nick Hahn, Donald Avansino, Brice Richards, Claire Nicolas, Yahia H. […]

Hippocampal stimulation reveals causal role of persistent neural activity in human working memory

Jessica Nani

Authors: Jonathan Daume, Mar Yebra, Chrystal M. Reed, Ivan Skelin, Yousef Salimpour, Jan Kamiński, Andre Cornejo Marin, William S. Anderson, Taufik A. Valiante, Adam N. Mamelak, Ueli Rutishauser Abstract: Working memory (WM) enables the temporary maintenance and manipulation of information, supporting […]

Intracortical microstimulation in humans: a decade of safety and efficacy

Jessica Nani

Abstract: Background Intracortical microstimulation (ICMS) of somatosensory cortex can restore a sense of touch to people with spinal cord injury (SCI). […]

TACTILE EDGES AND MOTION VIA PATTERNED MICROSTIMULATION OF THE HUMAN CORTEX

Jessica Nani

Authors: Giacomo Valle, Ali H. Alamari, Robin Lienkämper, John E. Downey, Anton R. Sobinov, Linnea J. Endsley, Dillan Prasad, Michael […]

A streaming brain-to-voice neuroprosthesis to restore naturalistic communication

Jessica Nani

Authors: Kaylo T. Littlejohn, Cheol Jun Cho, Jessie R. Liu, Alexander B. Silva, Bohan Yu, Vanessa R. Anderson, Cady M. […]

A high-performance brain–computer interface for finger decoding and quadcopter game control in an individual with paralysis

Jessica Nani

We are thrilled to celebrate a remarkable milestone in neurotechnology: Using Blackrock Neurotech’s technology, researchers from Stanford University and the […]