Dynamics of temporal attention and expectation revealed by continuous tracking of visual cortical responses

Abstract

We can often anticipate the precise moment when a stimulus will be relevant for our behavioral goals. Voluntary temporal attention, the prioritization of sensory information at task-relevant time points, enhances visual perception. However, the neural mechanisms of voluntary temporal attention have not been isolated from those of temporal expectation, which reflects timing predictability rather than relevance. Here we used time-resolved steady-state visual evoked responses (SSVER) to investigate how temporal attention dynamically modulates visual activity when temporal expectation is controlled. We recorded MEG while observers directed temporal attention to one of two sequential grating targets with predictable timing. Meanwhile, we used a co-localized SSVER probe to continuously track visual cortical modulations both before and after the target stimuli. In the pre-target period, the SSVER gradually ramped up as the targets approached, reflecting temporal expectation. Furthermore, we found a low-frequency modulation of the SSVER, which shifted approximately half a cycle in phase according to which target was attended. In the post-target period, temporal attention to the first target transiently modulated the SSVER shortly after target onset. Thus, temporal attention dynamically modulates visual cortical responses via both periodic pre-target and transient post-target mechanisms to prioritize sensory information at precise moments.