PhD.

Jimena Frontera
[email protected]
Attention

• What attention is and what the different types are

• Explore the specific anatomical regions of attention

• Networks involved in attention

• Ways in which attentional mechanisms can fail

What is attention?
Attention is a cognitive process to solve the problem of information by selecting some information
for further processing, ignoring other information that is not necessary.

Attention is the conscious or unconscious function that focuses on some external or internal stimulus,
presumably at the expense of fully processing other information.

Attention is the first step for learning and memory.

Arousal
How the brain modulates and interferes with the information that is coming from our senses
to focus on the information that is the most important?

Arousal and alertness

> State of consciousness of an organism that engages coherent cognitive and behavior responses.

> It can range from deep sleep to hyperalertness.

> Attention operates most efficiently in alert forms of arousal.

> drugs like caffeine modulate brain activity to keep it in an alert state
Attention as selective filtering
Bottle neck effect
> Only a limited amount of information can be perceived at any given time.

Does the brain process all the sensory information and then choose, or
does it limit the options before the processing occurs?

2 theories: Early vs late selection models

Early selection model primary cortices perception

Late selection model higher order regions awareness

> Evidence for both mechanisms.

 Attention as selective filtering
“Cocktail party effect”

Cherry experiment, 1953. Different dialogues to each ear at

the same time, subjects were instructed to attend only one.

Subjects were able to repeat the content of the attended

channel but not well the unattended channel.
-> Early selection model
Attentional mechanism filtering out unattended information at a
relatively low level in sensory processing.

However, at least some information in an unattended channel is

being processed (e.g., one´s name).
-> Late selection model
Information filtering occurs relatively late in sensory processing
pathways to enter consciousness or influences behavior.
Voluntary vs reflexive attention
Voluntary or Endogenous attention:
> Top-down process.
> Guided by our goals, intentions, expectations and rewards.
> Ongoing process in which our brain is constantly making predictions of how we can achieve these
goals and filtering information that is specific to those goals.

Benefit Cost

Experiment: Cueing paradigm

Endogenous visual spatial attention. Posner et al,. 1980. Visual attention.
Spatially and temporally overlapping sound Streams. Marinato and Baldauf, 2019. Auditory attention.
 Voluntary vs reflexive attention
Reflexive or Exogenous attention
> Bottom-up process, involuntary.

> Driven by sensory stimuli that involuntary capture

our attention (something orients us to a stimuli).
Ex. Loud noise, people screaming outside.

> It is a really important mechanism for surviving in

general.

Experiment: Klein, 2000. Inhibition of return.

After exogenous cue (not predictive), stimulus processing at
that location is facilitated (faster reaction time); however, at
longer intervals there is a decrement in performance, known as
“inhibition of return”.
Voluntary vs reflexive attention

> The two Attention Systems are in opposition to one another.

We are either working toward our momentary goals, or orienting to stimuli that distract us from
those goals.

> Balancing attention.

Allows us to not be too focused that we miss danger and not too scatterbrained that we never
accomplish anything.
Types of attention: Less effort

Based on a clinical model of attention, attention can be divided into 5 components:

Higher effort
Sohlberg and Mateer, 2001. ISBN 9781572306134
Types of attention: Less effort

1. Focused attention: The ability to focus or respond to external or internal stimuli.

2. Sustained attention: The ability to maintain response to a stimulus presented continuously

(over a long period of time).

Higher effort
Sohlberg and Mateer, 2001. ISBN 9781572306134
Types of attention: Less effort

1. Focused attention: The ability to focus or respond to external or internal stimuli.

2. Sustained attention: The ability to maintain response to a stimulus presented continuously

(over a long period of time).

3. Selective attention: The ability to select and attend to a chosen stimulus in the presence of
competing internal or external stimuli.

4. Alternating attention: The ability to change focused attention between two or more stimuli.

5. Divided attention: The ability to attend simultaneously to multiple stimuli.

Higher effort
Sohlberg and Mateer, 2001. ISBN 9781572306134
Types of attention: Less effort

1. Focused attention: The ability to focus or respond to external or internal stimuli.

2. Sustained attention: The ability to maintain response to a stimulus presented continuously

(over a long period of time).

3. Selective attention: The ability to select and attend to a chosen stimulus in the presence of
competing internal or external stimuli.

4. Alternating attention: The ability to change focused attention between two or more stimuli.

5. Divided attention: The ability to attend simultaneously to multiple stimuli.

Higher effort
Sohlberg and Mateer, 2001. ISBN 9781572306134
Types of attention: Less effort

1. Focused attention: The ability to focus or respond to external or internal stimuli.

2. Sustained attention: The ability to maintained response to a stimulus presented continuously

(over a long period of time).

3. Selective attention: The ability to select and attend to a chosen stimulus in the presence of
competing internal or external stimuli.

4. Alternating attention: The ability to change focused attention between two or more stimuli.

5. Divided attention: The ability to attend simultaneously to multiple stimuli.

Higher effort
Sohlberg and Mateer, 2001. ISBN 9781572306134
Anatomy of attention
Multiple areas involved in the control of attention
both cortical and subcortical.

> Cortical areas:

superior frontal cortex,
posterior parietal cortex,
posterior superior temporal cortex and
cingulate cortex (prefrontal).

> Subcortical areas:

superior colliculus in the midbrain and
pulvinar nucleus of the thalamus.
 fMRI

Attention system:
three networks

1. Alerting network: Thalamic activations

2. Orienting network: Parietal activation

3. Executive network: Anterior cingulated cortex activation

 1. Alerting network Promote arousal and consciousness

> Responsible for achieving and maintaining a state of sensitivity to incoming information. Alertness.

> Comprised of right lateralized ventral frontoparietal cortical regions, including:

the temporal–parietal junction (TPJ), dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), and the insula/ventral
frontal cortex (INS/VFC), as well as the thalamus and locus coeruleus (LC).

Keehn et al. Neurosci Biobehav Rev, 2013

 2. Orienting network Prioritize sensory input

> Responsible for the selection of information from sensory input.

> Includes bilateral dorsal frontoparietal areas (superior partial lobe/intraparietal sulci, SPL/IPS;
frontal eye fields, FEF), the superior colliculus (SC), pulvinar, and the cerebellum.

Keehn et al. Neurosci Biobehav Rev, 2013

 2. Orienting network Directs attention to a target stimulus

> Orienting visual attention can occur overtly, with concurrent head/eye-movements, or covertly,
without corresponding head/eye-movements.

> Attention may also be directed reflexively (automatically) or voluntarily to a spatial location based
on central (endogenous) or peripheral (exogenous) cues.

Keehn et al. Neurosci Biobehav Rev, 2013

 Responsible for decision-making and problem-solving
3. Executive network in the pursuit of goal-directed behavior

> Multidimensional attentional system, responsible for inhibitory control (selective attention, cognitive
inhibition, and self-control), set shifting (or cognitive flexibility, ability to move back and forward
between different tasks or mental sets), and working memory (temporarily maintain the information).

> Includes rostral brain locations: prefrontal cortex (PFC) and anterior cingulate gyrus/supplementary
motor area (ACC/SMA).

Keehn et al. Neurosci Biobehav Rev, 2013

 Contralateral neglect syndrome

• Lesions in the parietal cortex

• It involves a deficit in attention paid to one side of the visual

field, usually the side that is contralateral to the damage.

● Induce the inability to attend / notice objects, or even one’s own

body, in a portion of space, despite the fact that vision, somatic
sensation and motor ability remain intact.
Contralateral neglect syndrome
Contralateral neglect syndrome
Motor tasks: Dressing themselves, reaching objects or orienting to
sounds.
Attention-Deficit / Hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

• ADHD is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders of childhood.

• It is usually first diagnosed in childhood and often lasts into adulthood.

• Symptoms of ADHD:
Inattention
• inattention (not being able to keep focus)

• hyperactivity (excess movement that is not fitting to the setting) Impulsivity Hyperactivity

• impulsivity (tendency to act without thought).

Attention-Deficit / Hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

• An estimated 8.4% of children and 2.5% of adults have ADHD.

• It is more common among boys than girls (4:1)

• Associated with increased risk of depression, substance abuse, and antisocial behavior.
ADHD causes
Genetic factors
• In 76% of cases, ADHD is linked to genetic factors, mainly related to dopamine signaling.

Environmental factors
• Alcohol and nicotine consumption during pregnancy
• Hypoxic‐ischemic syndrome
• Premature birth
Brain alterations in ADHD
Decreased levels of noradrenaline, serotonine and dopamine.

Martínez, L. et al. Frontiers in psychology. 2016

Treatment of ADHD

1. Psychological treatment

• Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)

2. Pharmacological treatment

• Stimulants (methylphenidate or amphetamine)

• Non-stimulants (atomoxetine and certain antidepressants)

Conclusions
1. Attention is a cognitive process that helps us to focus into specific information, ignoring
the other information than is not necessary.

2. There are 5 types of attention.

3. Attention system is composed of three networks: alerting network, orienting network and
executive network.

4. Attention is necessary for other cognitive process (memory and learning).

> Bibliography
Purves et al. Neuroscience. Chapter 29 attention.
Posner et al. 1980. Visual attention.
Marinato and Baldauf, 2019. Auditory attention.
Klein, 2000. Inhibition of return.
Martínez et al. Frontiers in psychology, 2016
Sohlberg and Mateer, 2001. ISBN 9781572306134
Keehn et al. Neurosci Biobehav Rev, 2013
Selective attention

1. Inattentional blindness:

It is the failure to notice a fully-visible, but unexpected object because attention was engaged on
another task, event, or object.

“The insivible gorilla test”

50% of the population do not observe the gorilla

(Daniel Simons and Christopher Chabris, 1999)
Drew T, Võ ML, Wolfe JM. The invisible gorilla strikes again: sustained
inattentional blindness in expert observers. Psychol Sci. 2013
Sep;24(9):1848-53.
Selective attention

1. Inattentional blindness:

It is the failure to notice a fully-visible, but unexpected object because attention was engaged on
another task, event, or object

2. Change blindness:

It is a phenomenon of visual perception that occurs when a stimulus undergoes a change without this
being noticed by its observer.
Tests of attention:

1. Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) test

2. The memory and attention test

3. The Stroop test

1. Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) test

• It is a widely used test to check for cognitive impairment.

• It helps to to assess several mental abilities, including:

o short and long-term memory
o capacity of attention
o concentration
 1. MMSE test

The maximum score for the MMSE is 30.

• 25 or higher→ normal
• 21-24→ mild cognitive impairment
• 10-20→ moderate cognitive impairment
• Less than 10→ severe cognitive impairment

MMSE example
2. The memory and attention test
• It is a computer-based performance test.

• It healps to evaluate:

o Working memory
o Short-term memory
o Sustained attention
2. The memory and attention test
3. The Stroop test (selective attention)
1. It assesses the ability to inhibit cognitive interference.

The stroop effect

The difficulty in inhibiting the more automated process.

Can we train our attention?
1. Focused attention.

2. Sustained attention:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GAy8DAdnnM&ab_channel=YousefAlHindi

3. Selective attention:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMY4ajTkMUM&ab_channel=YousefAlHindi

4. Alternating attention:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tz1O97SLg1k&ab_channel=YousefAlHindi

5. Divided attention: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZdej4rYfL0&ab_channel=YousefAlHindi