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Attentional Searchlight

While the prefrontal cortex region of the brain had long been studied by neuroscientists, a separate region of the brain, called thalamus came in the picture in 1984, by a new theory that suggested that the region acts as a gatekeeper of the senses, apart from being a relay centre.
The region has a thin layer of inhibitory neurons wrapped around it, called the thalamic reticular nucleus(TRN), which acted as ‘gates’ and hid or removed some of the data that is not required at a given time, to establish a level of focus for the individual.
The study found that the brain was lowering the unwanted signals to help us focus on the stimuli of interest.

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QUANTAMAGAZINE

To Pay Attention, the Brain Uses Filters, Not a Spotlight | Quanta Magazine

quantamagazine.org

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