Sustained Attention and Dispositional Motivation: Top- Down Influences on Cognitive Performance

In this paper, we decompose sustained attending behavior into components of continuous attention maintenance and attentional transitions and study how each of these components develops in young children. Our results in two experiments suggest that changes in children's ability to return attention to a target locus after distraction (“Returning”) play a crucial role in the development of sustained attention between the ages of 3.5-6 years, perhaps to a greater extent than changes in the ability to continuously maintain attention on the target (“Staying”). We further distinguish Returning from the behavior of transitioning attention away from task (“Leaving”) and provide evidence that Leaving is more strongly influenced by bottom-up factors, while Returning is invariant to these same bottom-up factors, suggesting a potentially greater contribution of top-down factors in Returning. Overall, these results (a) suggest the importance of understanding the cognitive process of transitioning attention for understanding sustained attention and its development, (b) provide an empirical paradigm within which to study this process, and (c) begin to characterize basic features of this process, namely its development and its relative dependence on top-down and bottom-up influences on attention.

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Frontal Midline Theta Is a Specific Indicator of Optimal Attentional Engagement During Skilled Putting Performance

Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology ◽

10.1123/jsep.35.5.470 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 35 (5) ◽

pp. 470-478 ◽

Cited By ~ 23

Author(s):

Shih-Chun Kao ◽

Chung-Ju Huang ◽

Tsung-Min Hung

Keyword(s):

Sustained Attention ◽

Brain Region ◽

Attentional Control ◽

Theta Activity ◽

Top Down ◽

Golf Putting ◽

Skilled Performance ◽

Frontal Brain ◽

Attentional Engagement ◽

Frontal Midline Theta

The purpose of this study was to determine whether frontal midline theta activity (Fmθ), an indicator of top-down sustained attention, can be used to distinguish an individual’s best and worst golf putting performances during the pre-putt period. Eighteen golfers were recruited and asked to perform 100 putts in a self-paced simulated putting task. We then compared the Fmθ power of each individual’s 15 best and worst putts. The results indicated that theta power in the frontal brain region significantly increased in both best and worst putts, compared with other midline regions. Moreover, the Fmθ power significantly decreased for the best putts compared with the worst putts. These findings suggest that Fmθ is a manifestation of sustained attention during a skilled performance and that optimal attentional engagement, as characterized by a lower Fmθ power, is beneficial for successful skilled performance rather than a higher Fmθ power reflecting excessive attentional control.

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Stress effects on cognitive function in patients with major depressive disorder: Does childhood trauma play a role?

Development and Psychopathology ◽

10.1017/s0954579419000932 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 32 (3) ◽

pp. 1007-1016 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Linn K. Kuehl ◽

Katharina Schultebraucks ◽

Christian E. Deuter ◽

Anita May ◽

Carsten Spitzer ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Working Memory ◽

Major Depressive Disorder ◽

Depressive Disorder ◽

Cognitive Performance ◽

Sustained Attention ◽

Verbal Learning ◽

Trier Social Stress Test ◽

Major Depressive ◽

Lower Performance ◽

Healthy Participants

AbstractImpaired cognitive functioning constitutes an important symptom of major depressive disorder (MDD), potentially associated with elevated cortisol levels. Adverse childhood experiences (ACE) enhance the risk for MDD and can contribute to disturbances in the stress systems, including cortisol and cognitive functions. In healthy participants, cortisol administration as well as acute stress can affect cognitive performance. In the current study, we tested cognitive performance in MDD patients with (N = 32) and without (N = 52) ACE and healthy participants with (N = 22) and without (N = 37) ACE after psychosocial stress induction (Trier Social Stress Test, TSST) and a control condition (Placebo-TSST). MDD predicted lower performance in verbal learning and both selective and sustained attention, while ACE predicted lower performance in psychomotoric speed and working memory. There were no interaction effects of MDD and ACE. After stress, MDD patients were more likely to show lower performance in working memory as well as in selective and sustained attention compared with participants without MDD. Individuals with ACE were more likely to show lower performance in verbal memory after stress compared with individuals without ACE. Our results indicate negative effects of MDD and ACE on distinct cognitive domains. Furthermore, MDD and/or ACE seem to enhance susceptibility for stress-related cognitive impairments.

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Stimulating music supports attention in listeners with attentional difficulties

10.1101/2021.10.01.462777 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Kevin JP Woods ◽

Goncalo Sempaio ◽

Tedra James ◽

Emily Przysinda ◽

Adam Hewett ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Performance ◽

Sustained Attention ◽

Amplitude Modulation ◽

Neural Mechanism ◽

Individual Variability ◽

Background Music ◽

Adhd Symptoms ◽

Neural Responses ◽

Attentional Networks ◽

Attentional Difficulties

Background music is widely used to sustain attention, but little is known about what musical properties aid attention. This may be due to inter-individual variability in neural responses to music. We test the hypothesis that music can sustain attention by affecting oscillations via acoustic amplitude modulation, differentially for those with varying levels of attentional difficulty. We first show that heavily-modulated music improves sustained attention for participants with more ADHD symptoms. FMRI showed this music elicited greater activity in attentional networks in this group only, and EEG showed greater stimulus-brain coupling for this group in response to the heavily-modulated music. Finally, we parametrically manipulated the depth and rate of amplitude modulations inserted in otherwise-identical music, and found that beta-range modulations helped more than other frequency ranges for participants with more ADHD symptoms. Results suggest the possibility of an oscillation-based neural mechanism for targeted music to support improved cognitive performance.

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Intrinsic Connectivity Changes Mediate the Beneficial Effect of Cardiovascular Exercise on Sustained Visual Attention

Cerebral Cortex Communications ◽

10.1093/texcom/tgaa075 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 1 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Nico Lehmann ◽

Arno Villringer ◽

Marco Taubert

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Performance ◽

Sustained Attention ◽

Short Term Memory ◽

Brain Plasticity ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Intervention Strategy ◽

Control Group ◽

Healthy Human ◽

Cardiovascular Exercise ◽

Intrinsic Connectivity

Abstract Cardiovascular exercise (CE) is an evidence-based healthy lifestyle strategy. Yet, little is known about its effects on brain and cognition in young adults. Furthermore, evidence supporting a causal path linking CE to human cognitive performance via neuroplasticity is currently lacking. To understand the brain networks that mediate the CE–cognition relationship, we conducted a longitudinal, controlled trial with healthy human participants to compare the effects of a 2–week CE intervention against a non-CE control group on cognitive performance. Concomitantly, we used structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging to investigate the neural mechanisms mediating between CE and cognition. On the behavioral level, we found that CE improved sustained attention, but not processing speed or short-term memory. Using graph theoretical measures and statistical mediation analysis, we found that a localized increase in eigenvector centrality in the left middle frontal gyrus, probably reflecting changes within an attention-related network, conveyed the effect of CE on cognition. Finally, we found CE-induced changes in white matter microstructure that correlated with intrinsic connectivity changes (intermodal correlation). These results suggest that CE is a promising intervention strategy to improve sustained attention via brain plasticity in young, healthy adults.

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Cognitive performance in idiopathic intracranial hypertension and relevance of intracranial pressure

Brain Communications ◽

10.1093/braincomms/fcab202 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Olivia Grech ◽

Andrew Clouter ◽

James L Mitchell ◽

Zerin Alimajstorovic ◽

Ryan S Ottridge ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Body Mass Index ◽

Visual Field ◽

Intracranial Pressure ◽

Cognitive Performance ◽

Obstructive Sleep Apnoea ◽

Cognitive Deficits ◽

Sustained Attention ◽

Sleep Apnoea ◽

Obstructive Sleep ◽

Over Time

Abstract Cognitive impairments have been reported in Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension (IIH), however evidence supporting these deficits are scarce and contributing factors have not been defined. Using a case-control prospective study, we identified multiple domains of deficiency in a cohort of 66 female adult IIH patients. We identified significantly impaired attention networks (executive function) and sustained attention compared to a body mass index and age matched control group of 25 healthy female participants. We aimed to investigate how cognitive function changed over time and demonstrated that deficits were not permanent. Participants exhibited improvement in several domains including executive function, sustained attention and verbal short-term memory over 12 months follow up. Improved cognition over time was associated with reduction in intracranial pressure but not body weight. We then evaluated cognition before and after a lumbar puncture with acute reduction in intracranial pressure and noted significant improvement in sustained attention to response task performance. The impact of comorbidities (headache, depression, adiposity and obstructive sleep apnoea) was also explored. We observed that body mass index and the obesity associated cytokine interleukin-6 (serum and CSF) were not associated with cognitive performance. Headache severity during cognitive testing, co-morbid depression and markers of obstructive sleep apnoea were adversely associated with cognitive performance. Dysregulation of the cortisol generating enzyme 11β hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 has been observed in IIH. Elevated cortisol has been associated with impaired cognition. Here we utilised liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry for multi-steroid profiling in serum and CSF in IIH patients. We noted that reduction in the serum cortisol:cortisone ratio in those undergoing bariatric surgery at 12 months was associated with improving verbal working memory. The clinical relevance of cognitive deficits was noted in their significant association with impaired reliability to perform visual field tests, the cornerstone of monitoring vision in IIH. Our findings propose that cognitive impairment should be accepted as a clinical manifestation of IIH and impairs the ability to reliably perform visual field testing. Importantly cognitive deficits can improve over time and with reduction of intracranial pressure. Treating comorbid depression, obstructive sleep apnoea and headache could improve cognitive performance in IIH.

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Restorative Effects of Classroom Soundscapes on Children’s Cognitive Performance

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph16020293 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 16 (2) ◽

pp. 293 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Shan Shu ◽

Hui Ma

Keyword(s):

Reaction Time ◽

Cognitive Performance ◽

Sustained Attention ◽

Short Term Memory ◽

Digit Span ◽

Classroom Situation ◽

Short Term ◽

Arithmetic Task ◽

Term Memory ◽

Attention Fatigue

Previous studies have examined the restorative benefits of soundscapes on adults’ cognitive performance, but it was unclear whether those benefits would be possible for children. In this paper, two experiments applied a before–after design to explore the restorative effects of different soundscapes on children’s sustained attention and short-term memory, respectively, in a simulated classroom situation. In Experiment 1, 46 children aged 8–12 were first mentally fatigued by performing an oral arithmetic task and then were asked to conduct a sustained attention to response test (SART), in order to assess their attention fatigue. After that, a period of 3-min soundscape was presented, and SART was conducted again to examine their attention recovery. In Experiment 2, 45 children participated and the experiment procedure was the same as in Experiment 1, except that a digit span test (DST) was used instead to measure short-term memory. The results showed that music, birdsong, fountain sound, and stream sound facilitated greater recovery than other sounds in reaction time. Participants also showed better performance in short-term memory after exposure to fountain sound and stream sound, followed by music and birdsong. Those results confirmed the actual restorative effects of perceived restorative soundscapes on children’s cognitive performance.

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Physiological and Behavioral Effects of 1,8-Cineol and (±)-Linalool: A Comparison of Inhalation and Massage Aromatherapy

Natural Product Communications ◽

10.1177/1934578x0800300713 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 3 (7) ◽

pp. 1934578X0800300 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Eva Heuberger ◽

Josef Ilmberger ◽

Engelbert Hartter ◽

Gerhard Buchbauer

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Performance ◽

Respiration Rate ◽

Sustained Attention ◽

Healthy Subjects ◽

Well Being ◽

Physiological Arousal ◽

Behavioral Effects ◽

Mode Of Administration ◽

Application Condition ◽

Attentional Performance

The effects of fragrances on human arousal are not well understood. The aim of the present investigation was to determine the influence of two monoterpenes, 1,8-cineol and (±)-linalool, on human sustained attention, physiological arousal and well-being. The substances, as well as appropriate placebos, were administered either by inhalation or by skin application to a total of 130 healthy subjects. We found that when the fragrances were applied to the skin 1,8-cineol improved speed of attentional performance in comparison to (±)-linalool, but not in comparison to peanut oil, which served as a placebo. Under the same conditions, 1,8-cineol increased respiration rate in comparison to both (±)-linalool and placebo. In the inhalation condition, neither attentional performance nor physiological arousal were affected by the fragrances, but both odorants influenced well-being, i.e., 1,8-cineol decreased activation and (±)-linalool increased it. In contrast, no such effects were observed in the skin application condition. Our results demonstrate that fragrances affect cognitive performance, physiological arousal and well-being as a function of the mode of administration.

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