The temporal dynamics of visual selection: convergence from lesion-symptom mapping and the intact functioning brain. (360G-Wellcome-098771_Z_12_Z)

Visual attention refers to the cognitive process of selecting goal-relevant information while ignoring irrelevant information. Many neuroimaging studies have been devoted to localise with high precision the brain areas involved in visual attention, suggesting that visual attention is an emerging property from a network of brain areas, including different areas in the parietal lobe. However, less is known about the interaction between brain areas within the network, and their temporal dynamics. T he goal of the proposed research is to understand the temporal dynamics of visual selection, and to advance the knowledge about alterations in temporal dynamics following brain lesions. The first objective is to investigate the temporal dynamics of visual selection in the intact brain, by performing functional neuroimaging studies in healthy participants, combining complementary imaging techniques with both high spatial (functional magnetic resonance imaging) and high temporal resolution (magnet oencephalography). The second objective is to understand when cortical processing in specific parietal regions is necessary for visual selection, by using a non-invasive interventional technique with high temporal resolution (transcranial magnetic stimulation). The third objective is to characterize the temporal neural signature of visual selection deficits after brain damage, and its role in predicting behavioural recovery.