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When it comes to focus, we are not all equal. Some manage to do it in the hubbub, while others get easily distracted at the slightest opportunity. An American study tells us more about the brain mechanisms that allow individuals to stay focused, despite the many distractions around them.
This researchpublished in the journal Human Nature Behavior, is based on the conclusions ofa previous study, which revealed that some people are able to separately control their concentration level and their filtering ability. This allows them to ignore distractions while amplifying information deemed important and relevant. But until now, the brain process allowing these two functions to be combined was relatively poorly understood.
Harrison Ritz and Amitai Shenhav, two researchers affiliated with Brown University, asked volunteers to perform a cognitive task while they analyzed their neuronal activity using a functional MRI machine. For example, study participants had to determine which color was dominant within a swirling mass of green and purple dots, which moved from left to right.
Academics have noticed that the intraparietal sulcus, this region of the brain located in the parietal lobe, plays a fundamental role in the concentration process. “The intraparietal sulcus should be seen as two buttons on a radio dial: one adjusts the focus and the other adjusts the filtering. In our study, the anterior cingulate cortex tracks the movement of the dots. When the anterior cingulate cortex recognizes that, for example, movement makes the task more difficult, it instructs the intraparietal sulcus to adjust the filter knob to reduce sensitivity to movement“, explains Harrison Ritz in a statement.
Towards a better understanding of ADHD
In other words, concentration is, above all, a question of brain flexibility. Our brain adapts its functioning so that we can concentrate on a specific element, despite the distractions around us. This explains, for example, why some people are able to carry on a conversation in a noisy bar. “In the same way that we mobilize more than fifty muscles to accomplish a physical task such as using chopsticks, our study reveals that we can coordinate several different forms of attention in order to perform acts of mental dexterity“, underlines Mr. Ritz.
The findings of this study highlight the importance of mental coordination. “When people talk about the limitations of the mind, they often say that humans simply don’t have the necessary mental capacity or that they lack the computing power. Our findings support a different perspective on why we “We’re not focused all the time. It’s not that our brain is too simple, but rather that it is very complicated and it’s the coordination that is difficult,” says Mr. Ritz.
This research could allow us a better understanding of attention deficit disorder with or without hyperactivity (ADHD). For good reason, this neurodevelopmental disorder is still too often perceived as the consequence of educational failures, which greatly complicates its diagnosis and treatment. It is estimated that ADHD affects 5.9% of young people and 2.5% of adults, according to the World ADHD Federation International Consensus Statement.