Blood Flow Changes in Human Somatosensory Cortex During Anticipated Stimulation. Drevets, W., Burton, H., Videen, T., Snyder, A., Simpson, J., & Raichle, M. Nature, 373:249-252, January, 1995.
abstract   bibtex   
POSITRON emission tomography (PET) measurements of brain blood flow were used to monitor changes in the human primary and secondary somatosensory cortices during the period when somatosensory stimuli were expected. In anticipation of either focal or innocuous touching, or localized, painful shocks, blood flow decreased in parts of the primary somatosensory cortex map located outside the representation of the skin area that was the target of the expected stimulus. Specifically, attending to an impending stimulus to the fingers produced a significant decrease in blood flow in the somatosensory zones for the face, whereas attending to stimulation of the toe produced decreases in the zones for the fingers and face. Decreases were more prominent in the side ipsilateral to the location of the expected stimulus. No significant changes in blood flow occurred in the region of the cortex representing the skin locus of the awaited stimulation. These results are concurrent with a model of spatial attention in which potential signal enhancement may rely on, generalized suppression of background activity(1).
@article{ Drevets_etal95,
  author = {Drevets, W. and Burton, H. and Videen, T. and Snyder, A. and Simpson,
	J. and Raichle, M.},
  title = {Blood Flow Changes in Human Somatosensory Cortex During Anticipated
	Stimulation},
  journal = {Nature},
  year = {1995},
  volume = {373},
  pages = {249-252},
  month = {January},
  abstract = {POSITRON emission tomography (PET) measurements of brain blood flow
	were used to monitor changes in the human primary and secondary somatosensory
	cortices during the period when somatosensory stimuli were expected.
	In anticipation of either focal or innocuous touching, or localized,
	painful shocks, blood flow decreased in parts of the primary somatosensory
	cortex map located outside the representation of the skin area that
	was the target of the expected stimulus. Specifically, attending
	to an impending stimulus to the fingers produced a significant decrease
	in blood flow in the somatosensory zones for the face, whereas attending
	to stimulation of the toe produced decreases in the zones for the
	fingers and face. Decreases were more prominent in the side ipsilateral
	to the location of the expected stimulus. No significant changes
	in blood flow occurred in the region of the cortex representing the
	skin locus of the awaited stimulation. These results are concurrent
	with a model of spatial attention in which potential signal enhancement
	may rely on, generalized suppression of background activity(1).},
  en_number = {2.11:5}
}

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