Using visual advance information: an event-related functional MRI study.

Our event-related functional MRI (efMRI) study investigates whether visual advance information (AI) affects rather perceptual or central response-related processing areas. Twelve subjects were required to make a go/no-go decision to a conjunction of a specific color and motion direction. The stimuli were preceded by a cue, providing 100% valid advance information about motion direction. Partial and full advance information (PAI and FAI) predicted possible targets, respectively, certain nontargets, neutral cues (NAI) gave no prediction. The time between cue and stimulus (stimulus onset asynchrony, SOA) was varied. A response benefit was found after PAI as compared with NAI. The benefit was small with a short SOA (150 ms), increased with intermediate SOA (450 ms) and sustained with long SOA (750 ms). Perceptual and central processing areas were more active with increasing SOA, but only central response-related processing areas were selectively modulated by cue information. In particular, supplementary motor area and bilateral inferior parietal lobe were more active with PAI than with NAI. If comparing NAI with FAI, more errors were made and activity was larger in central processing areas. Our results suggest that, depending on the processing time, cues providing perceptual information modulate central response-related processes.