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J Neurophysiol (August 15, 2007). doi:10.1152/jn.00357.2007
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Submitted on March 29, 2007
Accepted on August 12, 2007

TMS pulses on the frontal eye fields break coupling between visuo-spatial attention and eye movements

Sebastiaan F.W. Neggers1*, Willem Huijbers2, Chris M Vrijlandt3, Bjorn N.S. Vlaskamp4, Dennis J.L.G. Schutter5, and J. Leon Kenemans3

1 division of Brain Research/dpt of Psychiatry, Rudolf Magnus Institute of Neuroscience/UMC Utrecht, Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands; Department of Psychonomics, Utrecht University, Helmholtz Institute, Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands
2 Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences, Faculty of Science/University of Amsterdam, Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands
3 Department of Psychonomics, Utrecht University, Helmholtz Institute, Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands
4 School of Optometry, University of California at Berkeley, Berkely, California, United States
5 Helmholtz Institute, Department of Psychonomics, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: b.neggers{at}umcutrecht.nl.

While preparing a saccadic eye movement, visual processing of the saccade goal is prioritized. Here, we provide evidence that the frontal eye fields are responsible for this coupling between eye movements and shifts of visuo-spatial attention. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) guided transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) was applied to the frontal eye fields (FEF) 30 ms before a discrimination target was presented at or next to the target of a saccade in preparation. Results showed that the well-known enhancement of discrimination performance on locations to which eye movements are being prepared was diminished by TMS contralateral to eye movement direction. Based on the present and other reports, we propose that saccade preparatory processes in the FEF affect selective visual processing within the visual cortex through feedback projections, in that way coupling saccade preparation and visuo-spatial attention.




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