The three attentional networks: On their independence and interactions

Mixing measures: testing an assumption of the attention network test

“…This is consistent with recent research showing that the three attentional subsystems are able to work together to influence behavior. Research has shown that the alerting network inhibits executive control, whereas the orienting network enhances executive control (Callejas, Lupiáñez, Funes, et al, 2005;Callejas, Lupiáñez, & Tudela, 2004;Fan, Gu, et al, 2009) and the alerting network modulates orienting effects (Fuentes & Campoy, 2008). Furthermore, there is substantial functional overlap across the different neural networks (Fan et al, 2005).…”

“…They did, however, report a significant interaction between cue condition and flanker type, which implies that attention networks are not entirely independent (Fan, McCandliss, Sommer, et al, 2002). In order to investigate potential interactions across attention networks, Callejas and colleagues (Callejas, Lupiáñez, Funes, & Tudela, 2005;Callejas, Lupiáñez, & Tudela, 2004) modified Fan's task by including a new alerting stimulus: a short-duration high-frequency tone. This modification enabled the researchers to measure each network independently and to quantify the effect of one network on the other two networks.…”

“…This modification enabled the researchers to measure each network independently and to quantify the effect of one network on the other two networks. In a series of experiments, Callejas et al reported (a) a larger flanker-congruency effect after an alerting stimulus, suggesting that the executive control network is inhibited by the alerting network, (b) a smaller congruency effect on cued versus uncued trials, demonstrating that the orienting network enhances the efficiency of executive control, and (c) a larger cuing effect following an alerting signal, suggesting that the alerting network speeds up the efficiency of the orienting network (Callejas, Lupiáñez, Funes, et al, 2005;Callejas, Lupiáñez, & Tudela, 2004). These findings have since been replicated using other versions of the ANT (ANT-R; Fan, Gu, et al, 2009).…”

“…Because previous research has clearly demonstrated that the networks interact (cf. Callejas, Lupiáñez, Funes, et al, 2005;Callejas, Lupiáñez, & Tudela, 2004;Fan, Gu, et al, 2009) thought it was important to determine whether there were any interactions across the individual cue and flanker conditions within each network. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to assess the appropriateness of averaging across cue and flanker conditions to obtain separate measures of the three attention networks.…”

Low arousal modulates visuospatial attention in three-dimensional virtual space

“…Thimm et al (2006) demonstrated how computerized alertness training can improve visuospatial performance of neglect patients and that this is linked to reactivation in right hemisphere brain areas (frontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, precuneus, and angular gyrus) associated with alerting and visuospatial attention. Bellgrove et al (2004) demonstrated how individual differences in alertness capacity can modulate pseudoneglect (the small leftward attentional bias in healthy subjects), whereas Callejas et al (2004) identified an accelerating influence of alerting on orienting. In a recent study (Fimm et al, 2006), we provoked attentional asymmetries in healthy subjects by short-term sleep deprivation (28 hr) leading to a substantial reduction of arousal associated with a significant slowing of responses to stimuli presented to the left visual hemifield as well as a facilitation of covert reorienting of attention toward the right visual hemifield.…”