Local and global attention are mapped retinotopically in human occipital cortex

Clinical evidence suggests that control mechanisms for local and global att ention are lateralized in the temporal-parietal cortex. However, in the hum an occipital (visual) cortex, the evidence for lateralized local/global att ention is controversial. To clarify this matter, we used functional MRI to map activity in the human occipital cortex, during local and global attenti on, with sustained visual fixation. Data were analyzed in a flattened corti cal format, relative to maps of retinotopy and spatial frequency peak tunin g, Neither local nor global attention was lateralized in the occipital cort ex, Instead, local attention and global attention appear to be special case s of visual spatial attention, which are mapped consistently with the maps of retinotopy and spatial frequency tuning, in multiple visual cortical are as.