Rising above the din: Attention makes sensory signals stand out amidst the background noise in the brain
Wednesday, September 23, 2009 - 13:49
in Biology & Nature
The brain never sits idle. Whether we are awake or asleep, watch TV or close our eyes, waves of spontaneous nerve signals wash through our brains. Researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies studying visual attention have discovered a novel mechanism that explains how incoming sensory signals make themselves heard amidst the constant background rumblings so they can be reliably processed and passed on.