Clinical Neurology and Neuroscience: Attention

Flashcards covering the essential concepts of attention in clinical neurology and neuroscience, focusing on types of attention, their brain correlates, clinical manifestations of disorders, and assessment methods.

What is the functional importance of attention?

Attention enhances detection and speeds reactions, guiding information selection due to the brain's capacity limits.

What is top-down attention control?

Goal-directed attention guided by specific objectives. (goal in mind)

What is bottom-up attention control?

Stimulus-driven attention that is unexpectedly captured by external stimuli.

for example a loud noise that captures focus involuntarily.

What area of the brain is associated with top-down attention control?

The Dorsal attention system and dorsal visual pathway

What is hemispatial neglect?

A condition where a patient fails to notice stimuli on one side of space, typically the left side, due to brain damage.

How does sustained attention depend on norepinephrine?

Sustained attention correlates with norepinephrine levels from the locus coeruleus, which affects arousal and vigilance.

What is Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)?

A disorder characterized by inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity, often with smaller brain volumes in specific areas.

What are some clinical tests for assessing attention disorders?

Tests include the Stroop Test and Digit Vigilance Test (DVT), which measure selective attention and vigilance respectively.

What is the distinction between dorsal and ventral attention systems?

Dorsal attention system is for goal-directed attention; ventral attention system is for stimulus-driven attention.

What is the relationship between perception and attention?

Perception detects sensory input; attention selectively focuses on specific stimuli.

How does the Dorsal Attention System enhance top-down control?

It prioritizes sensory inputs that match spatial or goal-directed objectives, maintaining attention on specific locations or objects.

What role does the Temporal Cortex (TE) play in perception?

TE processes complex visual information for object recognition and complements the dorsal pathway's spatial focus.

What roles do the Superior Parietal Lobule (SPL) and Frontal Eye Fields (FEF) play in attention?

SPL assists with spatial focus, while FEF directs eye movements and shifts attention.

What are priority maps in attention control?

Neural representations that guide attention by prioritizing stimuli based on relevance.They are created by integrating sensory information and past experiences to influence perception.

What is ventral attention system?

Detects surprising stimuli and allows quick shifts in focus.

How do bottom-up and top-down attention work together?

Bottom-up is automatic; top-down ensures attention aligns with goals.

What activates the ventral attention system?

It activates in response to surprising or important stimuli, shifting attention to unexpected events.

How does the ventral attention system differ from the ventral 'what' pathway?

The ventral attention system detects unexpected stimuli, while the ventral 'what' pathway focuses on recognizing objects by their features.

What is the role of the temporoparietal junction (TPJ) in these systems?

connects the ventral attention system and the 'what' pathway, helping assess stimulus relevance.

What are the key components of the ventral attention system?

It activates in response to surprising or important stimuli, shifting attention to unexpected events.

Which system guides top-down attention processing?

The dorsal attention system guides top-down processing, involving the frontal eye fields (FEF) and superior parietal lobule/intraparietal sulcus (SPL/IPS) for goal-directed attention control.

Which system is responsible for bottom-up attention processing?

The ventral attention system is responsible for bottom-up processing, utilizing areas like the temporoparietal junction (TPJ) and ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (vlPFC) to react to salient stimuli and drive automatic attention shifts.

How does the dorsal attention system function during visual search?

It prioritizes areas or objects according to current goals.

What mechanism helps in dynamic adjustments of attention?

dorsal attention system allows rapid reorientation of attention to where it is most needed.

Which attention system is active during visual search before identifying an important target

The dorsal attention system (FEF and SPL/IPS) is active
for guiding goal-directed attention to prioritize areas based on internal goals.

How does the dorsal attention system function during visual search?

It actively scans and adjusts focus dynamically, exploring and prioritizing areas based on internal objectives.

What is the role of the ventral attention system during visual search before an important target is identified?

The ventral attention system (IPL/TPJ) remains inactive during visual search until a significant or unexpected stimulus is detected.

Why does the ventral attention system remain inactive during visual search?

It waits for an important target or unexpected event to trigger its activation, ensuring attention is redirected when necessary.

What happens when a surprising or important target is detected during visual search?

Both the dorsal and ventral attention systems become active to maintain focus on the position and recognize the significance of the target.

What is sustained attention?

the ability to maintain focus and concentration on a task or stimulus over an extended period.

What aspect of attention does sustained attention involve?

attention span, which is the duration one can concentrate on a task or stimulus without becoming distracted.

What neurotransmitter is crucial for sustained attention?

norepinephrine

How is norepinephrine level related to physical indicators?

NE level correlates with pupil size, with changes in pupil size indicating variations in norepinephrine levels.

How does the locus coeruleus relate to the attention system?

The locus coeruleus projects to the dorsal attention system, influencing attention control through norepinephrine secretion.

What are the four forms of attention, and what are their characteristics?

1. Sustained Attention:

2. Selective Attention.

3. Divided Attention:

4. Alternating Attention

Which form of attention involves focusing on selected information and ignoring unimportant stimuli?

selective attention

Which form of attention allows for attending to multiple tasks concurrently, especially when they are of different sensory modalities?

divided attention

Which form of attention is characterized by the ability to shift focus flexibly between tasks?

alternating attent

What is divided attention?

The ability to focus on multiple tasks at once, often involving different senses.

what is alternating attention?

The ability to switch focus between different tasks or stimuli, allowing for flexible engagement with multiple activities.

what is selective attention?

The process of focusing on a particular stimulus while ignoring others, enabling enhanced perception and response to specific information.

What is the purpose of the Stroop Test?

a cognitive assessment tool that evaluates selective attention, cognitive flexibility, and processing speed by measuring how well individuals manage interference while focusing on relevant information.

How does the Stroop Test work?

Participants name the color of the ink of printed words instead of reading the words themselves, facing challenges when word meaning and ink color conflict (e.g., the word 'red' in blue ink).

What does the Stroop Test assess in terms of selective attention?

by requiring participants to suppress automatic responses (reading the word) and focus on task-relevant aspects (ink color).

What is the Digit Vigilance Test (DVT)?

• measures sustained attention and visual scanning ability. -

• Participants need to quickly cross out all instances of the digits 6 and 9 from a list of numbers, assessing their sustained attention during repetitive tasks.

What is the primary purpose of the DVT?

primarily assesses alerting and vigilance, evaluating an individual's ability to remain continuously alert over time, which is vital for tasks needing sustained attention and quick reactions.

What are omission errors in the context of the DVT?

indicating lapses in attention and vigilance under monotonous conditions.

What is Hemispatial Neglect?

a condition characterized by a reduced ability or inability to detect or respond to stimuli on one side of space, most often the left side.

What are the characteristics of Hemispatial Neglect?

spatial unawareness, ignoring stimuli on the affected side, such as only eating from one side of a plate or shaving only one side of their face.

What typically causes Hemispatial Neglect?

usually caused by a lesion in the hemisphere opposite to the neglected side, commonly due to damage in the right hemisphere leading to neglect of the left side of space.

Which brain regions are commonly affected in Hemispatial Neglect?

parietal lobe, critical for spatial awareness and attention, are often implicated in cases of hemispatial neglect.

Other regions include the frontal and temporal lobes, which also play important roles in attention and spatial processing.

What distinguishes neglect from loss of sensation?

Neglect is primarily an attention issue rather than a sensation issue; patients have intact sensory pathways but struggle to attend to stimuli on the neglected side, leading to perceived absence of sensation.

How does the Crossing Hands Effect demonstrate attention redirection?

The effect shows that spatial attention can be redirected, alleviating symptoms of neglect by repositioning neglected stimuli into areas that are within the patient's spatial awareness.