Attention control involves three areas of the brain that work together to provide mental energy needed for concentration, prioritize data, and break down complex problems. Dysfunction in these areas can lead to sleepiness, distraction, impulsive behavior, and frustration. Researchers have found that a drug approved for sleep disorders can increase coordination between the processing center in the prefrontal cortex and the brainstem, improving concentration. When concentration isn’t needed, neurons in the prefrontal cortex usually fire randomly, but become more inactive when a person wants to concentrate.
Attention control involves three areas of the brain that activate, regulate, and monitor how information is received and processed. All three regions work together to provide the mental energy needed for concentration, allow the mind to focus on important details, and enable tasks to be completed despite distractions. When all areas of the brain work in concert, attentional control can be accomplished and shifted to another job if necessary.
The control of mental energy takes place in the brainstem. This region regulates alertness and balances arousal and sleep states. Energy is allocated to effort when activities require attentional control, but decreases to allow for sleep. Dysfunction of mental energy control typically causes sleepiness during the day and an inability to maintain concentration to start and finish an activity. This part of the mind regulates energy cycles from day to day and from task to task.
Processing controls also play an important role in controlling attention. Activity in the cortex and midbrain manages how information is analyzed and used, often called selective attention. These areas allow the mind to prioritize data to complete a task by using previous experience to rank the level of importance of incoming information. People suffering from processing control dysfunctions may be distracted by audio or visual stimuli. Attention control may be hampered by an inability to identify the main points of a problem or focus on minute details.
The third area of the brain governs the production control needed to concentrate. Taking place in the prefrontal cortex, this process allows the mind to analyze options, predict outcomes, and foresee the consequences of various actions. Attention control requires stimulation in this area of the brain to avoid working too slowly or too fast on the task. When operating efficiently, production control allows the mind to break down complex and difficult problems into manageable segments. Dysfunction of this process could lead to impulsive behavior and frustration.
Researchers have studied how different areas of the brain work together to facilitate attentional control during learning, at work and in social settings. They used a drug approved for sleep disorders that calms activity in the brainstem to manage mental energy. The scientists found that the participants could concentrate better because the drug increased coordination between the processing center in the prefrontal cortex and the brainstem.
When concentration isn’t needed, neurons in the prefrontal cortex usually fire randomly when external thoughts and stimuli intrude. If a person with normal functioning in all three parts of the brain wants to concentrate, the neurons become more inactive. They are activated only to process and analyze the information necessary for selective attention to complete the task at hand. This focused attention also allows a person to continue to control attention when unmotivated or bored.
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