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Differential Effects of Lowered Arousal on Covert and Overt Shifts of Attention

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 June 2015

Bruno Fimm ,
Klaus Willmes  and
Will Spijkers
Bruno Fimm*
Affiliation:
RWTH Aachen University, Department of Neurology, Section Neuropsychology, Aachen
Klaus Willmes
Affiliation:
RWTH Aachen University, Department of Neurology, Section Neuropsychology, Aachen
Will Spijkers
Affiliation:
RWTH Aachen University, Institute of Psychology, Aachen
*
Correspondence and reprint requests to: Bruno Fimm, RWTH Aachen University, Department of Neurology, Section Neuropsychology, Pauwelsstraße 30, D-52074 Aachen. E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

Based on previous studies demonstrating detrimental effects of reduced alertness on attentional orienting our study seeks to examine covert and overt attentional orienting in different arousal states. We hypothesized an attentional asymmetry with increasing reaction times to stimuli presented to the left visual field in a state of maximally reduced arousal. Eleven healthy participants underwent sleep deprivation and were examined repeatedly every 4 hr over 28 hr in total with two tasks measuring covert and overt orienting of attention. Contrary to our hypothesis, a reduction of arousal did not induce any asymmetry of overt orienting. Even in participants with profound and significant attentional asymmetries in covert orienting no substantial reaction time differences between left- and right-sided targets in the overt orienting task could be observed. This result is not in agreement with assumptions of a tight coupling of covert and overt attentional processes. In conclusion, we found differential effects of lowered arousal induced by sleep deprivation on covert and overt orienting of attention. This pattern of results points to a neuronal non-overlap of brain structures subserving these functions and a differential influence of the norepinephrine system on these modes of spatial attention. (JINS, 2015, 21, 545–557)

Keywords

AttentionArousalSensory neglectReaction timeSleep deprivationNorepinephrine
Type
Research Articles
Information
Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society , Volume 21 , Issue 7 , August 2015 , pp. 545 - 557
Copyright
Copyright © The International Neuropsychological Society 2015 

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