Attention

A spotlight brings into focus the distal dendrites of a neocortical layer 5 pyramidal neuron (gold) amongst a sea of cholinergic axons (green), an allegory of the transformation of dendritic computations in the output neurons of the neocortex produced by the optogenetic activation of the cholinergic modulatory system. Artwork by Lee Fletcher.

How the brain enables us to rapidly focus attention

Published on: 27 December 2018

QBI researchers have discovered a key mechanism in the brain that may underlie our ability to rapidly focus attention.

Paying attention helps your brain process what it can't see

Published on: 2 August 2018

Paying attention to a location helps the brain to process not just what you can see there, but also what you can’t – suggesting that attention and awareness are controlled by different pathways in the brain.

Oscillations in brain activity influence how well we perceive objects in both expected and unexpected locations.

Rhythmic brain waves determine how well we perceive

Published on: 29 March 2018

Oscillations in brain activity influence how well we perceive objects in both expected and unexpected locations.

Identifying an object in an unexpected location is quick, but responding to it is slower.

Seeing fast, acting slow: how the brain processes what you see

Published on: 23 March 2018

Identifying an object in an unexpected location is quick, but responding to it is slower.

Brain stimulation can improve performance on new tasks

Brain stimulation can boost performance on new tasks

Published on: 5 February 2018

Electrical stimulation applied to the brain during training can boost performance on new, untrained tasks controlled by the same brain areas.

Attention: interference and control

How much attention to you pay when you're reading? What happens when this process is disrupted?

Jason Mattingley: learning and memory

Professor Jason Mattingley discusses learning and memory in the brain.

QBI researchers have shown, like humans, fruit flies may be self-aware of their actions.

The fruit fly may know it's bugging you

Published on: 24 July 2015

QBI researchers have shown, like humans, fruit flies may be self-aware of their actions.

Bees stay attentive in a virtual reality world

Published on: 17 March 2014

Bees have been found to have selective attention and key components of consciousness in a QBI study performed at UQ.

Attention drug drives memory research

Published on: 20 January 2010

Scientists at the Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, have found a way to measure the attention span of a fly, which could lead to further advances in the understanding of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism in humans.

Research Area