The brain is constantly receiving information, and focus depends on the ability to filter out distractions and pick up what is important.
Attention disorders such as ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) involve a disruption in our ability to separate signals from noise.
Stimulant drugs improve attention by stimulating activity in circuits known to control attention, such as the prefrontal cortex (PFC).
A new study has now discovered a surprising potential alternative strategy, which can be used to reduce background activity as a way to dampen external noise.
Led by Priya Rajasethupathy, MD, PhD, head of the Skoler Horbach Family Laboratory of Neural Dynamics and Cognition at Rockefeller University, researchers showed that a gene called Homer1 plays a crucial role in shaping attention in just that way.
Their studies in mice found that animals with lower levels of two specific versions of the gene experienced quieter brain activity and had better ability to concentrate.
The team says the findings could be the first step toward a new therapeutic approach to calm the mind, with implications for ADHD and related disorders characterized by early sensory disturbances already linked to Homer1, such as autism and schizophrenia.
“The gene we found has a striking effect on attention and is relevant to humans,” said Rajasethupathy, senior author of the team’s paper published in Nature Neuroscience, titled “Gene that improves attention in mice may point to mind-altering therapeutic strategies for ADHD.”
Animals are “bombarded with a constant stream of sensory stimuli,” the authors wrote, yet have limited capacity to process them. “A mechanism for filtering, prioritizing, and directing mental abilities is needed to prevent sensory overload and enable meaningful understanding; this process of sensory selection and prioritization is described as attention,” they explained.
The PFC plays an important role in mediating attentional control, and many ADHD medications work in the PFC to stimulate attention. However, the team noted, “The genetic factors and resulting neural circuit physiology that cause variation in attention are poorly understood.”
