The dopaminergic and noradrenergic attentional centers.

The brain has 2 attention centers: the anterior (anterior, ventral) dopaminergic-controlled attention center and the posterior (posterior) noradrenergic-controlled attention center.

• 1. The anterior (anterior, ventral) attention center
• 2. The posterior (posterior) attention center

1. The anterior (anterior, ventral) attention center¶

• Dopaminergic controlled
• Tasks:
  • Attentional control, including control of the individual parts of the brain that process perceptions (reading, seeing, word comprehension, etc.)
  • Working memory
  • Non-focused attention
  • Stimulus Inhibition
  • Executive functions = central management system of the brain
    • Organization
    • Set priorities
    • Activation
    • Integration
    • Self-control
      Modulation and control occur in subcortical structures, primarily striatum and thalamus
• Components:
  • Cingulum
  • Prefrontal cortex

2. The posterior (posterior) attention center¶

• Noradrenergic controlled
• Tasks:
  • Recognition of new stimuli
  • Use of alerts to increase attention and task performance¹
  • Vigilance = alertness = sustained attention at a monotonous stimulus frequency
  • Orientation responses
• Components
  • Right (dorsal) paretic lobe
  • Colliculi superiores
  • Pulvinar (posterior part of the thalamus)
• Activation takes place through
  • Nucleus coeruleus

Dopaminergic drugs address anterior attention center functions alone, noradrenergic drugs affect functions controlled by the posterior attention center in the parietal cortex.