- Ventral attention network
The ventral attention network (VAN) is one of two sensory orienting systems in the human brain, the other being the
dorsal attention network . Its main function is to reorient attention towards salient stimuli. The VAN is considered to be involved mostly, if not entirely, in involuntary actions. The neural network is right hemisphere lateralized and includes the right temporal-parietal junction and the right ventral frontal cortex [Fox, M.D., Corbetta, M., Snyder, A.Z., Vincent, J.L., & Raichle, M.E. (2006). Spontaneous neuronal activity distinguishes human dorsal and ventral attention systems. PNAS, 103, 10046-10051.] . This system shows activity increases upon detection of salient targets, especially when they appear in unexpected locations [Posner, M. I. & Petersen, S. E. (1990). Annual Review of Neuroscience, 13, 25–42.] [Corbetta, M., Kincade, J. M., Ollinger, J. M., McAvoy, M. P. & Shulman, G. L. (2000). Nature Neuroscience, 3, 292–297.] [Astafiev, S. V., Shulman, G. I., Stanley, C. M., Snyder, A. Z., Van Essen, D. C. & Corbetta, M. (2003). Journal of Neuroscience, 23, 4689–4699.] [Ast afiev, S. V., St anley, C. M., Shulman, G. L. & Corbetta, M. (2004) Nature Neuroscience, 7, 542–548.] [Kincade, J. M., Abrams, R. A., Astafiev, S. V., Shulman, G. I. & Corbetta, M. (2005). Journal of Neuroscience, 25, 4593– 4604.] . Activity increases also are observed in the ventral system after abrupt changes in sensory stimuli [Downar, J., Crawley, A. P., Mikulis, D. J. & Dav is, K. D. (2000) Nature Neuroscience, 3, 277–283.] , at the onset and offset of task blocks [Fox, M. D., Snyder, A. Z., Barch, D. M., Gusnard, D. A. & Raichle, M. E. (2005). NeuroImage, 28, 956–966.] , and at the end of a completed trial [Shulman, G. I., Tansy, A. P., Kincade, M., Petersen, S. E., McAvoy, M. P. & Corbetta, M. (2002). Cerebral Cortex, 12, 590–600.] .The ventral attention network is one of several low frequency resting state networks in the brain. The others include the dorsal attention network and the
default mode network . [cite journal |author= Broyd SJ, Demanuele C, Debener S, Helps SK, James CJ, Sonuga-Barke EJS |title= Default-mode brain dysfunction in mental disorders: a systematic review |journal= Neurosci Biobehav Rev |year=2008 |pmid=18824195 |doi=10.1016/j.neubiorev.2008.09.002]References
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.