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The goal of the present study was to investigate the neural correlates of top-down control of switching behavior in humans and to contrast them to those observed during switching behavior guided by bottom-up mechanisms. In the main experimental condition (color-cue), which was guided by top-down control, a central cue indicated the color of a peripheral grating on which the subject performed an orientation judgment. For switch trials, the color of the cue on the current trial was different from the color on the previous trial. For non-switch trials, the color of the cue on the current trial was the same as the color in the preceding trial. During a control condition (pop-out), which was guided by bottom-up saliency, the target grating was defined by color contrast; again both switch and non-switch trials occurred. We observed stronger evoked responses during the color-cue task relative to the pop-out task in the inferior …