The Resting Brain, Attention, and Consciousness

These flashcards cover key concepts of attention and consciousness based on the lecture notes.

Attention

Ability to focus on one aspect of sensory input, preferentially processing some information while ignoring others.

Consciousness

Awareness of something, with a challenging neural basis.

Resting State Activity

Brain activity that occurs when an individual is at rest, using roughly 20% of the body's oxygen and glucose.

Default Mode Network

Brain regions including the medial prefrontal cortex and posterior cingulate cortex that are active during rest and associated with high-order cognitive functions.

Mental Time Travel

Tasks that require recollection of past events or imagining future events.

Social Cognition

Understanding the thoughts, beliefs, and desires of others based on their actions.

Selective Attention

Attention directed toward specific objects, filtering out other input.

Exogenous Attention

Bottom-up, stimulus-driven attention given to salient sensory input.

Endogenous Attention

Top-down, goal-directed attention that is deliberately directed by the brain.

Priority Map

A map that determines the highest priority locations for successive shifts in attention.

Visual Sensitivity

Enhancement of vision due to focused attention.

Validation Cue

A cue that indicates the location of an upcoming target, improving detection performance.

Reaction Time

The time taken to respond to a stimulus, influenced by attention and cue validity.

Selection History

Previous experiences that affect where attention is directed.

Attention Enhancement

Increased neural responses due to focused attention, notably in visual processing areas.

Saccade

A rapid movement of the eye between fixation points, often involved in attention tasks.

Ventral Attention Network (VAN)

A brain network activated by unexpected stimuli, important for directing attention.

Dorsal Attention Network (DAN)

Consists of areas like the posterior parietal cortex that direct attention to features and location of stimuli.

Hemispatial Neglect Syndrome

An attentional disorder where individuals ignore objects to one side of their gaze, often following a right-sided lesion.

Neglect Syndrome Hypothesis

The theory that the left hemisphere attends to the right hemifield, while the right hemisphere attends to both hemifields.

Salience Map

A representation of conspicuous features in the environment that grab attention.

Cognitive Modulation

Influence of cognitive input on attentional allocation and processing.

Post-Ignition Activity

Increased brain activity observed after target presentation in attentional tasks.

Visual Cortical Area V4

A brain region where attention can enhance response to stimuli in receptive fields.

Attention and Variability

Attention reduces variability in neuronal responses, making them more consistent.

Receptive Fields

Regions of the sensory surface where stimuli can influence the firing of a neuron.

Bistable Visual Images

Images that can be perceived in two distinct ways, relating to consciousness.

Binocular Rivalry

A phenomenon where different images presented to each eye lead to alternating perceptions.

Higher-Order Theory

A theory in consciousness suggesting awareness arises from thoughts about thoughts.

Global Workspace Theory

A theory proposing that consciousness allows for the sharing of information across different cognitive systems.

Integrated Information Theory

A theoretical perspective on consciousness suggesting it arises from the integration of information.