The ability to focus your attention plays a role in many things – from studying for a test to positive social interactions. Attention deficits can be related to disorders or have other underlying factors. In this article, we dig deeper into what exactly focus is, and ways to improve it.<\/p>\n
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Attention is the ability to take notice of something or someone. If you focus on something, that means that you are paying particular attention to something.<\/p>\n
Sustained attention<\/strong>: the ability to focus cognitive function on specific stimuli.<\/p>\n Selective Attention<\/strong>: the ability to pick one thing to focus on while filtering out stimuli.<\/p>\n Task-switching<\/strong>: the ability to switch between tasks back and forth.<\/p>\n Visual Attention<\/strong>: a type of attention that allows us to deal with capacity problems by selecting relevant, and filtering irrelevant information. Visual attention has 3 subtypes including:<\/p>\n The Prefrontal Cortex plays a role in executive functions including [R<\/a>]:<\/p>\n While these brain areas are needed to complete tasks at hand, they\u2019re not necessarily involved in concentrating itself.<\/p>\n The Salience Network may be responsible for determining what is most important from incoming information and deciding what requires your focus.<\/p>\n The Salience Network includes three structures [R<\/a>]:<\/p>\n The Salience Network selects specific stimuli for additional processing from a constant stream of input information.<\/p>\n Saliency detection mechanisms in the brain are at the core of this process and split into two general mechanisms.<\/p>\n It\u2019s important to note that salience (importance of stimuli) may vary between individuals.<\/p>\n The Saliency Network plays a crucial role in identifying the most biologically and cognitive relevant internal and external stimuli to prioritize and guide behavior.<\/p>\n Dopamine<\/strong><\/a>: it plays a role in diseases with attentional impairments like ADHD and Alzheimer\u2019s. It is a key neurotransmitter in behavioral adaption and preparing voluntary attention [R<\/a>].<\/p>\n Noradrenaline<\/strong><\/a>: it plays a role in many forms of attention. Stimulant medications also release a combination of noradrenaline and dopamine [R<\/a>].<\/p>\n Cholinergic treatments (AMPA receptors\/<\/strong>acetylcholine<\/strong><\/a>, phosphatidylcholine, nicotinic acetylcholine receptors): <\/strong>they improve attention impairments in conditions where the choline<\/a> system is dysfunctional and also in healthy subjects [R<\/a>, R<\/a>].<\/p>\n Beta\/Alpha waves: <\/strong>these are both associated with attentional processes and other basic cognitive functions [R<\/a>].<\/p>\n Cortical thickness<\/strong>: this is reduced in aging and in diseases such as Alzheimer\u2019s. Increasing cortical thickness improves focus, perceiving internal experience, sensory processing, and executive functions [R<\/a>, R<\/a>].<\/p>\n Nitric oxide\/Increasing <\/strong>brain blood flow<\/strong><\/a>: regional blood flow changes are noted in people with ADHD. Additionally, decreased blood flow is associated with cognitive impairments in other diseases [R<\/a>, R<\/a>].<\/p>\n BDNF<\/strong><\/a>:<\/strong> low BDNF is associated with ADHD, and plays a role in working memory directly associated with selective attention [R<\/a>, R<\/a>].<\/p>\n Testosterone<\/strong><\/a>: low levels in aging or hypogonadism are associated with cognitive impairments of all kinds including focus. Raising levels to artificial extremes likely will cause cognitive problems, rather than improvements [R<\/a>].<\/p>\n Myelination:<\/strong> it is associated with a range of cognitive functions, including attention [R<\/a>, R<\/a>].<\/p>\n Klotho<\/strong><\/a>: <\/strong>mouse bred with higher levels of klotho perform better on learning tests and had higher resistance to oxidative stress<\/a> [R<\/a>, R<\/a>].<\/p>\n Oxidative Stress:<\/strong> reduced oxidative stress helps improve ADHD symptoms [R<\/a>].<\/p>\n The following lifestyle interventions may help you improve your focus and attention. Although most of them have multiple health benefits, remember to talk to your doctor before making any major changes to your lifestyle and diet. Importantly, consult a doctor if you have severe inattention or you notice no effects after trying these complementary strategies.<\/p>\n Regular aerobic exercise<\/a> showed improvement in focus<\/strong>, task switching, selective attention, and attentional deficits associated with <\/strong>ADHD in multiple clinical trials [R<\/a>, R<\/a>, R<\/a>].<\/p>\n Exercise improves areas that contribute to the ability to focus, including [R<\/a>]:<\/p>\n Given its multiple health benefits, it\u2019s a good idea to do more exercise whether you want to improve your attention or not.<\/p>\n Exercise Mechanisms<\/strong><\/p>\n\n
<\/a>Brain Networks in Focus\/Attention<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n
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<\/a>Salience Network<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
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<\/a>Structural Brain Changes and Brain Chemicals that Affect Focus<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
<\/a>Lifestyle Changes<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n
<\/a>1) Exercise<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
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