Hemispheric lateralization of attention processes in the human brain
Section snippets
Asymmetries in the attention networks
Attention is a very general term, which may refer to distinct, heterogeneous psychological processes. In order to be meaningful, it needs qualification [1]. Here, we shall mainly focus on visual selective attention, the processes which enable organisms to interact with an ever-changing environment in order to (1) select information relevant to their goals, and (2) quickly react to unexpected, potentially dangerous stimuli.
Anatomical evidence obtained in the monkey brain [2, 3, 4], and in the
Hemispheric asymmetries and visual neglect
Historically, the study of neurological patients with unilateral hemispheric damage provided the earliest causal evidence for the asymmetry of attentional networks across the hemispheres in the human brain. Dysfunction of the F–P networks in the RH frequently results in inattention (neglect) for left-sided objects (recent reviews in Refs. [25, 26, 27]). Also, more ventral damage to the right-lateralized IFOF has been associated with neglect [28,29,30•]. However, damage to the homolog regions of
Interactions between the SLF networks
The SLF III network was originally conceived as a ‘circuit-breaker’, which would correct erroneous orienting (e.g. to an invalid spatial cue), by allowing the SLF I network to reorient attention towards the target [6], or more generally would switch between brain networks, such as those implicated in social cognition [52]. Even more generally, the RH SLF III network might have a role in the detection of task-relevant stimuli [53], or in the online assessment of the adequateness of the
Asymmetries in inhibitory processes
Inhibitory control is a general term that may refer to the stopping or delaying of mental processes (cognitive inhibition), or of prepotent but inappropriate behavioral responses (response inhibition), or also to the management of emotional interference. Inhibitory processes serve the purposes of attentional systems by suppressing irrelevant information, thus prioritizing the processing of other, competing items.
A study using multimodal MRI found partially different networks for the three main
Towards a general framework of hemispheric asymmetries of attention processes
Left-right asymmetries are not exclusively observed in the human brain, but may go back in evolution before vertebrate arose 500 millions years ago [72]. A basic, evolutionarily conserved pattern of asymmetry sees the LH controlling well-established behavioral patterns in familiar, routine situations, and the RH taking control of responses to novel, unpredicted and potentially dangerous changes in the environment [72]. Recent evidence showed that even cephalopods such as the common cuttlefish (
Conflict of interest statement
Nothing declared.
References and recommended reading
Papers of particular interest, published within the period of review, have been highlighted as:
• of special interest
•• of outstanding interest
Acknowledgements
Supported by the following grants from the Agence Nationale de la Recherche: ‘Brain Attention Networks Dynamics’ (BRANDY) ANR-16-CE37-0005 and ‘Investissements d’avenir’ ANR-10-IAIHU-06 to PB; Israel Science Foundation (57/15) and Marie Skłodowska-Curie (702577) fellowships to TSM.
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