Attraction and suppression of attention: Unravelling the intricacies of visual capture

This research project investigates the balance between selecting relevant information and ignoring distractions. Specifically, it explores two key electrophysiological components: the N2pc, reflecting the allocation of visual attention, and the distractor positivity PD, associated with attentional suppression. The core objective is to characterize how these processes interact and to determine whether the PD is a genuine marker of active inhibition or a byproduct of other neural activities. The project situates attentional mechanisms within the predictive coding framework. It tests the hypothesis that the PD manifests the brain's response to "prediction errors" when unexpected or salient distractors disrupt ongoing cognitive processes. To overcome the limitations of traditional lateralized potentials, this study employs an innovative interdisciplinary approach:

• EEG Paradigms: EEG is used to replicate and probe the PD and N2pc components across various levels of distractor predictability.

• Conjoint EEG/FD-fNIRS: By combining EEG with frequency-domain functional near-infrared spectroscopy (FD-fNIRS), the project aims to identify the anatomical substrates (e.g., frontal vs. parietal regions) and distinguish between inhibitory and excitatory neural activity during suppression.

A significant axis of the research involves investigating attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The study aims to determine if the attentional challenges in ADHD are better explained by distractibility (linked to an alteration of the PD) or insufficient attention (linked to an alteration of the N2pc). This understanding could ultimately lead to a better diagnosis and more tailored interventions for the disorder.