Spatially global effects of feature-based attention in functional subdivisions of human subcortical nuclei

Spatially global effects of feature-based attention in functional subdivisions of human subcortical nuclei | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Spatially global effects of feature-based attention in functional subdivisions of human subcortical nuclei Peng Zhang, Weiru Lin, Yan-Yu Zhang, XILIN ZHANG, Fang Fang, Chencan Qian This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-5337945/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 15 Oct, 2025 Read the published version in Communications Biology → Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Attention can prioritize the processing of non-spatial features throughout the visual field. While human subcortical nuclei are known to play important roles in spatial attention, the subcortical mechanisms of feature-based attention remain elusive. Using high-resolution 7T fMRI, we investigated the spatially global effects of color-based attention in functional subdivisions of human subcortical nuclei. Paying attention to a color matching the unattended stimulus across the visual field selectively modulated BOLD signals in the parvocellular (P) layers of the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) of the thalamus, enhancing the response to the unattended stimulus while reducing the response to the attended stimulus. The spatially global effects of color-based attention were also found in the deeper layers of the superior colliculus (SC), early visual cortices, and the intraparietal sulcus (IPS) of the parietal lobe. Effective connectivity analyses further revealed enhanced feedforward and feedback connectivity between LGN and V1, along with top-down modulation from IPS through the SC and ventral pulvinar. Finally, attended color can be decoded from multi-voxel response patterns in frontoparietal regions. These findings demonstrate that color-based attention selectively modulates color processing in P subdivisions of the LGN of the thalamus throughout the visual field, controlled by top-down signals from the parietal cortex through the SC and pulvinar. Biological sciences/Neuroscience/Cognitive neuroscience/Attention Biological sciences/Psychology/Human behaviour Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 15 Oct, 2025 Read the published version in Communications Biology → Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-5337945","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":372346626,"identity":"bcc92cad-534b-4ddd-b466-737baa745815","order_by":0,"name":"Peng Zhang","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA30lEQVRIiWNgGAWjYDACCRiDvbGNVC08B0nWIpHARpwO+dnNzx5+3WGTJx/5uO1xAYOdPAP72QN4tTDOOWZuLHsmrdjwdmK78QyGZMMGnrwEvFqYJRLMpCXbDidunJ3YJs3DwJzAIMFjgFcLm0T6N6CW/4kbZx4EaaknrIVHIsdM8mPbgcT5EowgLYcJa5GQyCmTZjyTnLiBB+QXg+OGbTw5+LXIz0jfJvlzh13i/Pbjzx4XVFTL87Ofwa8FBJh5GxgYDA4AGQxAxUTFDuNPoBb5BpCWUTAKRsEoGAVYAACFfj82RdGf8gAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9603-8454","institution":"Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Peng","middleName":"","lastName":"Zhang","suffix":""},{"id":372346627,"identity":"b9e0d09a-c556-4274-a9b6-79174c737001","order_by":1,"name":"Weiru Lin","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Weiru","middleName":"","lastName":"Lin","suffix":""},{"id":372346628,"identity":"0febfd46-4379-4f17-8d11-a2cdac63de8f","order_by":2,"name":"Yan-Yu Zhang","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Shanghai Jiao Tong University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Yan-Yu","middleName":"","lastName":"Zhang","suffix":""},{"id":372346629,"identity":"7756e1e6-c936-4fdf-9bed-b02ab063c3c3","order_by":3,"name":"XILIN ZHANG","email":"","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0449-934X","institution":"South China Normal University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"XILIN","middleName":"","lastName":"ZHANG","suffix":""},{"id":372346630,"identity":"39e6ff3d-bef8-4cb8-9b55-d757e1ef4415","order_by":4,"name":"Fang Fang","email":"","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7718-2354","institution":"Peking University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Fang","middleName":"","lastName":"Fang","suffix":""},{"id":372346631,"identity":"be12b73f-e592-4051-8260-1f5e884e6ca6","order_by":5,"name":"Chencan Qian","email":"","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9124-3950","institution":"Institute of Biophysics","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Chencan","middleName":"","lastName":"Qian","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2024-10-26 14:25:06","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-5337945/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-5337945/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[{"content":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-025-08871-6","type":"published","date":"2025-10-15T04:00:00+00:00"}],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":93656510,"identity":"a6ba4132-c494-4ddf-a6fc-5740f1e55806","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-10-16 07:09:44","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":4565689,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-5337945/v1_covered_313e0a50-58a3-437c-9cff-8bfa5fdcc36b.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"There is \u003cb\u003eNO\u003c/b\u003e Competing Interest.","formattedTitle":"Spatially global effects of feature-based attention in functional subdivisions of human subcortical nuclei","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":true,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"nature-portfolio","isNatureJournal":true,"hasQc":false,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"","title":"Nature Portfolio","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":false,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"ejp","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false},"keywords":"","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-5337945/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-5337945/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"Attention can prioritize the processing of non-spatial features throughout the visual field. While human subcortical nuclei are known to play important roles in spatial attention, the subcortical mechanisms of feature-based attention remain elusive. Using high-resolution 7T fMRI, we investigated the spatially global effects of color-based attention in functional subdivisions of human subcortical nuclei. Paying attention to a color matching the unattended stimulus across the visual field selectively modulated BOLD signals in the parvocellular (P) layers of the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) of the thalamus, enhancing the response to the unattended stimulus while reducing the response to the attended stimulus. The spatially global effects of color-based attention were also found in the deeper layers of the superior colliculus (SC), early visual cortices, and the intraparietal sulcus (IPS) of the parietal lobe. 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