How the brain shifts focus between memories and the world

What is it about?

In this study, we investigated how the brain shifts the focus of attention between memories and the world around us. We found that the brain shows different activity patterns when shifting between these two domains – memory and perception – compared to shifting between different contents within each domain. This suggests that shifting between memories and perception demands additional mental functions or that competition for attention is stronger between domains than within them.

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Photo by Victor Barrios on Unsplash

Photo by Victor Barrios on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Nearly every behaviour we exhibit is a product of the dynamic interplay between external stimulation originating in the world around us and internal contents stored in our minds. When cycling to work, for instance, one must remain focussed on various external events, such as the changing traffic lights, pedestrians crossing the street, or a sudden halt by a vehicle ahead. Yet, as important as these external events are internal contents, such as memorised directions to the office, awareness of the vehicles behind us, and the recollection of upcoming obstacles. Ultimately efficient behaviour requires careful dynamic and flexible orchestration of both external and internal information. When the vehicle ahead abruptly stops, we need to react swiftly to our external surroundings without losing track of the memorised directions. When noticing that a pedestrian crossing the street happens to be a colleague from work, we find ourselves comparing external information to internal representations. When keeping track of the number of vehicles behind us as they pass, we integrate external stimulation into our mental representations. Relying solely on either external or internal information in any of these scenarios leads to inefficiencies if not potentially dangerous errors. Instead, to guide adaptive behaviour, we constantly need to shift our focus between the sensory environment and mental representations while also safeguarding our goal-relevant information processing from irrelevant interference in either domain – be it the flashing billboard on the other side of the road, or (perhaps more critically) the ingrained directions to our favourite ice cream shop. Our study establishes foundational insights into this cornerstone of human cognition – how we shift between internally stored memories and the external world.

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