Swedish scientists discovered the reason why some people are better at remembering
things, even with distractions, than others: an "irrelevance filter" in the brain!
The volunteers were asked to perform a computer-based task that required them to respond to target visual images, with or without distractions.
A noise informed subjects when an upcoming visual display would contain irrelevant distracters along with the targets.
When this cue occurred, neural activity increased in the basal ganglia and the prefrontal cortex before the visual display appeared, suggesting the brain was preparing to "filter out" the upcoming distracters.
The team is now working on methods to improve attention and memory in children with Attention Deficit Hyperactive dis ... what are we talking about again?