Understanding the neural basis underlying attention has been a major focus within cognitive neuroscience. Despite William James's famous statement, 'Every one knows what attention is'. , it is clear that considerable work is needed to clarify exactly what processes constitute attention and to understand how the brain enables these processes to function. Furthermore, a variety of approaches, including different subjects (humans, non-human primates, rodents), levels of neural analysis (synaptic functioning to entire brain regions to event-related potentials), and components of attention (e.g. orienting; covert and overt attention; sustained, selective, and divided attention; cognitive control) are necessary to understand how the brain controls aspects of attention. However, these different approaches can lend themselves to the development of specific 'subfields' of attention that do not interact with each other. Michael Posner has done a tremendous service to the field by compiling this edited book that includes chapters representing a variety of approaches to study attention. This edited book is a 'must-read', not only for researchers interested in current results and theories in their specific research domain related to attention, but also to gain a better understanding of research findings from laboratories that use approaches that may be less familiar to the reader. Dr Posner's edited book includes an introduction from the editor followed by five major sections: Cognitive Models of Attention, Imaging Attention, Synaptic and Genetic Studies, Development of Attention, and Deficits of Attention. As can be gleaned from these section titles, both the 'cognitive' and 'neuroscience' components to attention are given considerable emphasis. The section titled Cognitive Models of Attention provides the necessary groundwork for a theory-driven approach to understanding the neural basis of attention. The emphasis on cognitive control within several chapters in this section of the book is important for establishing that attention not only involves what is selected and processed further (see Chapter 5 by Thomas Carr), but also includes mechanisms through which some stimuli are excluded from further processing. These chapters then provide the basis for the forthcoming chapters that delve into the relevant neuroanatomy in more detail. The section concerned with Imaging Attention provides an impressive set of chapters that emphasize the brain systems involved in attention (see Chapters 8-13) while an additional set of chapters focuses on the cingulate cortex, particularly the anterior cingulate cortex (Chapters 15-17). An additional chapter (Na Β¨a Β¨ta Β¨nen & Alho) addresses mechanisms of attention in audition. Collectively, this section provides an excellent overview of several brain regions involved in attention while also emphasizing research related to particular neural structures (anterior cingulate cortex) that appear to play an integral role in aspects of attention.
The section titled Synaptic and Genetic Studies includes a chapter by Raja Parasuraman and Pamela Greenwood concerning molecular genetics of attention with a focus on genes that control receptor subunit production, neurotransmitter degradation, and general neuronal functioning. Additional chapters within this section emphasize the role of dopamine 4 (D4) receptors in attention, including experiments with receptor subtype-deficient mice (David Grandy & Paul Kruzich; Deth et al.). These chapters are complemented by a chapter (Han et al.) concerning assays for assessing attention in mice, although it is unclear how selective some of the proposed tests (trace conditioning, exploration of novel objects) are for assessing attention. Finally, chapters by Robbins et al. and by Melinda Beane and Richard Marrocco discuss experiments related to the neuropharmacology underlying attention. One of the strengths of this section of the book is that several chapters illustrate approaches that can be applied to understand the molecular genetics related to attention, a likely fruitful future direction for this field.