The Effect of Spatial Attention on Contrast Response Functions in Human Visual Cortex: Figure 1.

Previous electrophysiology data suggests that the modulation of neuronal firing by spatial attention depends on stimulus contrast, which has been described using either a multiplicative gain or a contrast-gain model. Here we measured the effect of spatial attention on contrast responses in humans using functional MRI. To our surprise, we found that the modulation of blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) responses by spatial attention does not greatly depend on stimulus contrast in visual cortical areas tested V1, V2, V3, and MT+ (middle temporal area). An additive model, rather than a multiplicative or contrast-gain model best describes the attentional modulations in V1. This inconsistency with previous single-unit electrophysiological data has implications for the population-based neuronal source of the BOLD signal.