Brain connectivity and visual attention.

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2013-01

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Abstract

Emerging hypotheses suggest that efficient cognitive functioning requires the integration of separate, but interconnected cortical networks in the brain. Although task-related measures of brain activity suggest that a frontoparietal network is associated with the control of attention, little is known regarding how components within this distributed network act together or with other networks to achieve various attentional functions. This review considers both functional and structural studies of brain connectivity, as complemented by behavioral and task-related neuroimaging data. These studies show converging results: The frontal and parietal cortical regions are active together, over time, and identifiable frontoparietal networks are active in relation to specific task demands. However, the spontaneous, low-frequency fluctuations of brain activity that occur in the resting state, without specific task demands, also exhibit patterns of connectivity that closely resemble the task-related, frontoparietal attention networks. Both task-related and resting-state networks exhibit consistent relations to behavioral measures of attention. Further, anatomical structure, particularly white matter pathways as defined by diffusion tensor imaging, places constraints on intrinsic functional connectivity. Lastly, connectivity analyses applied to investigate cognitive differences across individuals in both healthy and diseased states suggest that disconnection of attentional networks is linked to deficits in cognitive functioning, and in extreme cases, to disorders of attention. Thus, comprehensive theories of visual attention and their clinical translation depend on the continued integration of behavioral, task-related neuroimaging, and brain connectivity measures.

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Brain, Frontal Lobe, Parietal Lobe, Nerve Net, Humans, Neurodegenerative Diseases, Positron-Emission Tomography, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Brain Mapping, Cognition, Memory, Short-Term, Visual Perception, Attention, Cognition Disorders, Neuropsychological Tests, Age Factors, Diffusion Tensor Imaging, Executive Function

Citation

Published Version (Please cite this version)

10.1089/brain.2012.0139

Publication Info

Parks, Emily L, and David J Madden (2013). Brain connectivity and visual attention. Brain connectivity, 3(4). pp. 317–338. 10.1089/brain.2012.0139 Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/27510.

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Scholars@Duke

Parks

Emily L Parks

Lecturing Fellow of Thompson Writing Program
Madden

David Joseph Madden

Professor Emeritus in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

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