Tag

Attention

All articles tagged with #attention

science6 days ago•8 min saved

Directing Attention to Inflammation May Modulate Immune Response

A Nature Human Behaviour study reports that focusing attention on an inflammatory skin reaction can alter the body's immune response: participants who paid close attention to the sensation showed smaller inflammation (smaller wheal and flare) and faster resolution than those who were distracted, and the effect persisted somewhat even when the area was numb with lidocaine, implying brain–body pathways where attention helps regulate inflammation. The study involved skin-prick tests in a small sample, so applicability to illness remains to be shown.

via ScienceAlert|

#attention #brain-body #histamine

health7 days ago•9 min saved

Focused Attention Dims Inflammation in Healthy Volunteers, Bar-Ilan Study Finds

A Bar-Ilan University study published in Nature Human Behaviour shows that actively directing attention to an inflamed skin area reduces the inflammatory response and speeds recovery, via both sensory pathways and top-down brain mechanisms. Across three preregistered experiments with 57 healthy volunteers, about 90% showed smaller inflammation when focusing on the area, with responses roughly 1.5 times smaller and faster return to baseline. The findings suggest attention can actively shape physiological processes, though the applicability to chronic inflammation remains to be determined.

via News-Medical|

#attention #bar-ilan-university #health

science8 days ago•48 min saved

Focused attention on bodily sensations dampens acute inflammation via brain–body pathways

A three-study, pre-registered investigation using histamine skin-prick inflammation shows that directing attention inward to bodily sensations produces smaller, faster-resolving wheal and flare responses than focusing on external distractors. The effect is robust across participants (about 90% showing the pattern) and is linked to increased parasympathetic (vagal) activity, suggesting two mechanisms: sensory modulation of inflammation-related signals and a top-down autonomic pathway. Notably, reducing sensory input with lidocaine did not abolish the effect, indicating that purely top-down attention can sustain anti-inflammatory regulation. The findings integrate attention, perception, and immune control, with implications for mindfulness-based therapies, while acknowledging model limits and the need to test generalizability to other immune challenges.

via Nature|

#attention #immune-regulation #inflammation

entertainment17 days ago•47 min saved

Perez Hilton's Hospitalization Sparks Spotlight Frenzy as Friends Fear He’s Cashing In

Perez Hilton remains hospitalized after an apparent suicide attempt broadcast on TikTok Live, with friends expressing concern that the renewed media attention is feeding his desire for fame and could be monetized—spurring talks of a book, paid TV interview, or documentary—while his family asks for privacy as they work through the situation.

via Yahoo|

#attention #entertainment #hospitalization

science1 month ago•19 min saved

Memory in Grey: Reframing Consciousness Through a Spectrum of Working Memory

A science-communication piece argues against rigid ‘slots’ models of working memory, proposing a Spectrum Model with a Grey Window where information can be encoded and used without full conscious access. It notes a small capacity (roughly 4 slots or 1–2 for complex items) and the doorway effect as a threshold-reset mechanism. The article links working memory to consciousness via attention and the global (or global neuronal) workspace, citing experiments like the unicycling clown (limited attention → missed conscious events) and a 16.67 ms Gabor patch showing unconscious memory influence. Overall, it suggests consciousness may arise from a dynamic interaction between memory and attention, with a grey area between fully conscious and unconscious processing.

via Neuroscience News|

#attention #consciousness #doorway-effect

science1 month ago•6 min saved

Brain can track two voices at once when switching attention, study finds

A PLOS Biology study using EEG shows that when people switch attention between two simultaneous voices, the brain briefly tracks both streams before settling on the new speaker. This overlap corresponds to a dip in alpha brainwaves, indicating mental effort, and researchers used large language models to model how listeners rebuild the conversational thread after each switch.

via Boing Boing|

#attention #auditory-processing #cognition

technology2 months ago•8 min saved

Stroop Test Exposes AI's Attention Blind Spot Under Longer Tasks

Researchers tested large language models on a Stroop-like task and found that AI can handle short lists but as the number of items grows, models lose focus and start reading words instead of naming the ink color. GPT-4o and Claude-3.5 Sonnet showed strong early performance that collapsed with longer lists; GPT-5, Claude Opus 4.1, and Gemini 2.5 showed similar patterns, highlighting a fundamental difference between AI attention and human executive control.

via SciTechDaily|

#ai #attention #gpt-5

technology2 months ago•6 min saved

Stroop Test Reveals Core Limitation in Transformer Attention

Researchers tested frontier LLMs (GPT-5, Claude Opus 4.1, Gemini 2.5, GPT-4o) with the Stroop task and found their ability to inhibit automatic word-reading collapses as sequence length grows, with accuracy dropping sharply on longer or mixed lists. The results show transformer attention lacks sustained executive control compared to human cognition, revealing a fundamental architectural gap in long-context decision-making.

via Neuroscience News|

#attention #executive-control #llms

neuroscience3 months ago•31 min saved

Wakeful sleep-like brain waves may underlie attention lapses in ADHD

A study found that sleep-like, high-amplitude slow waves intrude into wakefulness more often in adults with ADHD, correlating with more variable reaction times and more commission errors during a 52-minute attention task; researchers suggest waking slow waves may link sleep regulation to ADHD and could serve as a biomarker, though more replication is needed.

via PsyPost|

#adhd #attention #neuroscience

health3 months ago•7 min saved

Ultraprocessed foods linked to higher dementia risk and weaker attention

A Monash University-led study of more than 2,000 dementia-free Australians aged 40–70 found that each 10% rise in ultraprocessed food intake was associated with lower attention scores and higher dementia risk, even among people with generally healthy diets; memory effects were not observed. Self-reported data and potential confounding limit the strength of conclusions. Researchers and experts, including Dr. Daniel Amen, call for dietary guidelines to consider processing level and for replacing ultraprocessed foods with real foods to protect brain health.

via Fox News|

#attention #brain-health #dementia-risk

health4 months ago•5 min saved

Tiny Increases in Ultra-Processed Foods Linked to Attention Decline and Dementia Risk

A cross-sectional study of 2,192 dementia-free Australian adults finds that each 10% rise in ultra-processed food (UPF) intake is tied to lower visual attention scores and higher dementia risk, independent of overall diet quality. The impact persists even among those following a healthy Mediterranean pattern, suggesting that the degree of food processing itself may drive cognitive decline via additives and processing chemicals. The study shows association, not causation, but highlights attention as a foundation for learning and a potential early dementia risk factor.

via Neuroscience News|

#attention #cognitive-function #dementia-risk

health-and-families4 months ago•12 min saved

Healthy eating can still falter: ultraprocessed foods blunt attention even on good diets

A study from Australia and Brazil found that ultraprocessed foods can impair attention and cognitive processing speed after just one bag of chips, even in middle-aged adults whose overall diet contained about 41% ultraprocessed foods. The effect, observed in more than 2,100 participants, occurred within minutes and persisted despite otherwise healthy eating patterns like the Mediterranean diet. Researchers say additives and the degree of processing may drive this link, which aligns with prior work showing higher ultraprocessed intake associates with increased dementia risk factors (and a Harvard Medical School study suggesting a 25% higher dementia risk with higher ultraprocessed consumption). The findings highlight that not only nutrition but also ultra-processing itself may impact brain function.

via The Independent|

#attention #diet #focus

health4 months ago•6 min saved

Kids with long COVID face learning and social hurdles

A NIH-funded RECOVER study of 1,976 youths aged 6–17 found that long COVID is linked to worse post-pandemic grades, more difficulty concentrating, and reduced social engagement. School-aged children with long COVID showed 18% worse grades vs 7% without, while adolescents showed 29% vs 11%; concentration problems were 38% vs 14% in younger kids and 37% vs 11% in teens. AEP/IEP pursuit and diminished peer fun were more common in those with long COVID as well. The authors call for expanded school-based supports and targeted interventions to mitigate potential long-term developmental impacts.

via CIDRAP|

#academic-performance #attention #children

health-and-medicine5 months ago•5 min saved

ADHD Brains Drift into Sleep-Like Bursts While Awake, Study Finds

Researchers found that adults with ADHD show more frequent sleep-like slow waves during wakefulness while performing attention-demanding tasks, and these bursts are linked to more errors, slower reaction times, and lapses in attention. The study compared 32 adults with ADHD off medication to 31 neurotypical controls. The findings suggest a brain mechanism behind ADHD-related attention difficulties, and future work may test whether sleep-based stimulation to boost slow waves could reduce daytime sleep-like activity and improve focus.

via ScienceDaily|

#adhd #attention #health-and-medicine

science5 months ago•4 min saved

ADHD Inattention Linked to Wakeful 'Local Sleep' Brain Bursts

In a study of 63 adults (32 with ADHD, 31 controls), ADHD participants showed more sleep-like slow waves during a sustained attention task—especially in fronto-central brain regions—and these waves predicted missed responses and variable reaction times. The findings support the idea of 'local sleep' during wakefulness as a neural mechanism for ADHD inattention and point to sleep-based interventions and EEG biomarkers, though causality isn’t proven and the results come from a lab task.

via Technology Networks|

#adhd #attention #eeg