To examine whether distinct Chinese Martial arts teaching approaches differentially enhance attention networks in preschoolers, this study enrolled 90 kindergarten children (5-6 years, M = 5.5 ± 0.2) randomly allocated to three groups: Martial arts sensory teaching (MAST) group, Martial arts traditional teaching (MATT) group, or a free activity(FA) group. Both Martial arts groups received 10-week interventions (2 sessions/week, 30 min/session), while the FA participated in scheduled outdoor free play without martial arts components. Alerting, orienting, and executive control networks were assessed pre- and post-intervention using the child version of the Attention Network Test (ANT). Baseline results showed no significant differences across groups in all three networks (p > 0.05). Post-intervention, MAST group exhibited significantly lower alerting scores than the FA (p = 0.02, d = 0.75), No significant differences were observed between MAST and MATT (p > 0.05, d = 0.58), or between MATT and FA (p > 0.05, d = 0.17). For executive control, the MAST group outperformed both the MATT group (p = 0.03, d = 0.95) and FA (p < 0.01, d = 1.32), while the MATT group also surpassed FA (p = 0.04, d = 0.57). No significant differences emerged in orienting across groups (p > 0.05). This study concludes that MAST significantly enhances the development of executive control and alerting networks in 5-6-year-old children, demonstrating superior efficacy compared to MATT. The findings suggest that dynamic task design and multi-sensory feedback mechanisms rooted in embodied cognition theory effectively promote the advancement of attention networks in preschool-aged children.

As the brain ages, oscillatory changes disrupt neuronal communication, contributing to cognitive decline in key areas such as parts of the attention network system. This study explores the effects of multi-session low-intensity transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation (tACS) on the efficiency of the alerting, orienting, and executive control networks in older adults. Using a 16-session theta-gamma tACS protocol targeting the prefrontal cortex, we examined its impact on Attention Network Task (ANT) performance of 76 participants aged 55 to 84 in a randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled design. To account for the influence of brain state, both active and sham tACS groups underwent cognitive n-back training during stimulation. Despite no significant modulations in attention network efficiencies, generalized linear mixed-effect modeling revealed that active tACS negatively influenced overall reaction time (RT) improvements, resulting in poorer ANT performance compared to the sham group. Additionally, active tACS disrupted network correlations post-intervention, particularly affecting the alerting network's interactions with the orienting and executive networks. These findings provide further evidence for the involvement of theta-gamma coupling in attention processes, though without network-specific effects. The results underscore the potential of frequency-specific neurostimulation to modulate cognitive functions but also emphasize the need for caution, as such interventions may inadvertently impair brain network dynamics.

Subcortical arousal systems are known to play a key role in controlling sustained changes in attention and conscious awareness. Recent studies indicate that these systems have a major influence on short-term dynamic modulation of visual attention, but their role across sensory modalities is not fully understood. In this study, we investigated shared subcortical arousal systems across sensory modalities during transient changes in attention using block and event-related fMRI paradigms. We analyzed massive publicly available fMRI datasets collected while 1561 participants performed visual, auditory, tactile, and taste perception tasks. Our analyses revealed a shared circuit of subcortical arousal systems exhibiting early transient increases in activity in midbrain reticular formation and central thalamus across perceptual modalities, as well as less consistent increases in pons, hypothalamus, basal forebrain, and basal ganglia. Identifying these networks is critical for understanding mechanisms of normal attention and consciousness and may help facilitate subcortical targeting for therapeutic neuromodulation.

Understanding how children engage with others is crucial for improving social interactions, especially when one of the partners is an animal. We investigated relationships between interaction strategies, visual attention, and facial expression identification of children interacting with an assistance dog, and evaluated the effects of a neurodevelopmental disorder (Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)) on these elements. Thus 20 children (7 with ASD, 13 with typical development or TD) participated in three experimental tasks: (1) face-to-face encounters with the assistance dog while wearing eye-tracking glasses to analyze visual exploration patterns; (2) free interactions with the assistance dog, assessed using ethological methods and (3) a computerized task evaluating human and canine facial expression identification. The results revealed that (1) visual exploration patterns varied depending on task instructions: ASD children paid less attention to faces and more to the environment than TD children; (2) both groups displayed similar behavioral patterns during free interactions with the assistance dog; (3) facial expression identification data did not differ between groups; and (4) within-group associations emerged between visual attention, spontaneous interaction behaviors, and facial expression identification abilities. These findings highlighted the complex interplay between visual attention, facial expression identification, and social behavior of children, emphasizing the importance of context in shaping interaction strategies.

Children with neurodevelopmental disorders historically exhibit lower and more variable nonverbal intelligence (NVIQ) scores compared to their typically developing peers. We hypothesize that the intrinsic characteristics of the tests themselves, particularly the cognitive constructs they assess, may account for both the lower scores and variability across tests and over time. Using a qualitative content analysis approach, we examined the extent to which key cognitive constructs are engaged in NVIQ tests and how these constructs compare across different tests.

Current editions of seven NVIQ tests were selected based on their relevance in clinical and research settings. Qualitative coding of constructs was developed iteratively by speech-language pathologists and researchers. The codes focused on cognitive domains most affected in highly prevalent neurodevelopmental conditions, including attention, receptive language, statistical learning, and working memory.

We identified multiple subfeatures for our constructs of interest. Using this coding framework, we found that NVIQ tests qualitatively differ in the extent to which these four constructs influence test performance.

Our findings suggest that understanding the impact of cognitive constructs on NVIQ tests can help explain why children with neurodevelopmental disorders exhibit lower and more unstable NVIQ scores compared to their peers. We provide recommendations for the use of NVIQ tests with neurodevelopmental disorder populations and encourage researchers and clinicians in speech and hearing sciences and psychology to use our results to inform test interpretation and selection.

https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.28886957.

The human capacity for sustained attention represents a critical cognitive paradox: while essential for numerous high-stakes tasks, perfect vigilance is fundamentally impossible. This commentary explores the theoretical impossibility of maintaining uninterrupted attention, drawing from extensive interdisciplinary research in cognitive science, neuroscience, and psychology. Multiple converging lines of evidence demonstrate that sustained attention is constrained by neural, biological, and cognitive limitations. Neural mechanisms reveal that attention operates through rhythmic oscillations, with inherent fluctuations in frontoparietal networks and default mode network interactions. Neurochemical systems and cellular adaptation effects further underscore the impossibility of continuous, perfect vigilance. Empirical research across domains-including aviation, healthcare, industrial safety, and security-consistently demonstrates rapid declines in attention performance over time, regardless of individual expertise or motivation. Even elite performers like military personnel and experienced meditators exhibit inevitable attention lapses. This paper presents an argument against traditional approaches that seek to overcome these limitations through training or willpower. Instead, it advocates for designing human-technology systems that work harmoniously with cognitive constraints. This requires developing adaptive automation, understanding individual and cultural attention variations, and creating frameworks that strategically balance human capabilities with technological support.

Inattention in young people is one of the main reasons for their declining learning ability. Frontoparietal networks (FPNs) are associated with attention and executive function. Brain computer interface (BCI) training has been applied in neurorehabilitation, but there is a lack of research on its application to cognition. This study aimed to investigate the effect of BCI on the attention network in healthy young adults.

Twenty-seven healthy people performed BCI training for 5 consecutive days. An attention network test (ANT) was performed at baseline and immediately after the fifth day of training and included simultaneous functional near-infrared spectroscopy recording.

BCI performance improved significantly after BCI training (p = 0.005). The efficiencies of the alerting and executive control networks were enhanced after BCI training (p = 0.032 and 0.003, respectively). The functional connectivity in the bilateral prefrontal cortices and the right posterior parietal cortex increased significantly after BCI training (p < 0.05).

Our findings suggested that repetitive BCI training could improve attention and induce lasting neuroplastic changes in FPNs. It might be a promising rehabilitative strategy for clinical populations with attention deficits. The right PPC may also be an effective target for neuromodulation in diseases with attention deficits.

The aim of the present research was to examine the role of affective information in the functioning of attentional networks in individuals with high vs. low trait or state anxiety. Previous studies suggest that anxiety can influence attentional processes, but the impact of affective information, such as alerting emotional stimuli, on these attentional networks remains unclear.

We conducted a set of experiments using negative or neutral faces as alerting stimuli, presented either alone or together with a neutral sound, within a modified version of the Attention Network Test-Interactions (ANT-I). Additionally, data from previous experiments with similar anxiety groups and without affective manipulations of alertness were analyzed for comparative insights (378 participants in total).

Results showed three main effects on the functioning of attentional networks when affective alerting signals were introduced: (1) the alertness effect is increased, (2) the interference effect is increased, and (3) the orienting effect is decreased. These effects occurred regardless of the valence of the alerting stimuli on a given trial. Importantly, the presence of affective information on some trials eliminated the group differences regarding the functioning of the attentional networks that are usually found when no affective information is presented. Specifically, the larger interference effect commonly observed in individuals with high trait-anxiety and the larger alertness and orienting effects seen in those with high state-anxiety, disappeared when emotional alerting stimuli were included.

The findings suggest that emotional information can significantly impact the functioning of attentional networks, particularly in relation to anxiety. The presence of affective stimuli seems to modulate attentional biases associated with anxiety, potentially neutralizing the usual effects seen in individuals with high trait or state anxiety. The role of affective information on the functioning of the attentional networks is discussed within the framework of anxiety and attention.

Cognitive functions such as attention and memory significantly impact performance in daily life and in various professions, including driving vehicles and providing healthcare services. Driven by the importance of understanding attention, early studies have explored the attentional theories and discovered the attentional boost effect (ABE). In experiments studying the ABE, participants are required to engage in two concurrent tasks: (1) memorising a sequence of briefly displayed stimuli (e.g. images or words) for a later memory test and (2) concurrently detecting a simultaneously presented target signal (e.g. pressing a button when seeing a target white square and taking no action for a distractor black square). Surprisingly, attending to a target boosts memory encoding for the concurrently presented information, contrary to the typical expectation of lowered performance owing to dual-task interference. This effect has been documented not only in behavioural experiments across different materials and modalities but also in neuroimaging investigations. This review paper is divided into several main sections, covering the behavioural evidence supporting the ABE, interpretations of the effect from neuroimaging studies, individual differences, consensus and controversies in ABE research as well as prospective future research in this area. The discussion in this review might also offer helpful insights to researchers for translating this phenomenon into real-world practical applications.

Accumulating evidence suggests that individuals with high sensory processing sensitivity often experience sensory overload and have difficulty sustaining attention, which can particularly resemble attention deficit symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. However, due to the lack of understanding about the potential neural pathways involved in those processes, a comprehensive view of how sensory processing sensitivity and attention deficit are related is generally limited. Here, we quantified the sensory processing sensitivity and attention deficit using the Highly Sensitive Person Scale and the Adult Attention-deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Self-Report Scale, respectively, to investigate the association between sensory processing sensitivity and attention deficit and further identify the corresponding neural substrates via the use of resting-state functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) analyses. On the behavioral level, the results indicated a significantly positive correlation between sensory processing sensitivity and attention deficit traits, while on the neural level, the sensory processing sensitivity score was positively correlated with functional connectivity between the rostral hippocampus and inferior parietal lobule, which is the core regions of the attention network. Mediation analysis revealed that hippocampus-Inferior Parietal Lobule (IPL) connectivity can further influence attention deficit through a mediating role of sensory processing sensitivity. Overall, these findings suggest that enhanced functional coupling between the hippocampus and attention network regions may heighten sensitivity to environmental stimuli, leading to increased distractibility and potentially contributing to attention deficit.

Misophonia is a disorder in which specific common sounds such as another person breathing or chewing, or the ticking of a clock, cause an atypical negative emotional response. Affected individuals may experience anger, irritability, annoyance, disgust, and anxiety, as well as physiological autonomic responses, and may find everyday environments and contexts to be unbearable in which their 'misophonic stimuli' (often called 'trigger sounds') are present. Misophonia is gradually being recognized as a genuine problem that causes significant distress and has negative consequences for individuals and their families. It has only recently come under scientific scrutiny, as researchers and clinicians are establishing its prevalence, distinguishing it from other disorders of sensory sensitivity such as hyperacusis, establishing its neurobiological bases, and evaluating the effectiveness of potential treatments. While ideas abound as to the mechanisms involved in misophonia, few have coalesced into models. The aim of the present work is to summarize and extend recent thinking on the mechanistic basis of misophonia, with a focus on moving towards neurologically-informed cognitive models that can (a) account for extant findings, and (b) generate testable predictions. We hope this work will facilitate future refinements in our understanding of misophonia, and ultimately inform treatments.

Background: This study investigates the complex relationship between accentuation and attention in visual perception, extending classical Gestalt principles by introducing dissimilarity as a complementary mechanism to similarity in perceptual organization. Objectives and Methods: Through a series of phenomenological experiments, we demonstrate how accentuation, driven by dissimilarity, plays a crucial role in shaping visual experience and guiding attention. Results: Our findings reveal that accentuation serves as a pre-attentive mechanism for highlighting salient features, influencing initial perceptual organization, and modulating the apparent shape and orientation of visual elements. We show that while accentuation operates rapidly and automatically, attention acts as a flexible, selective mechanism that can either reinforce or override accentuation-based percepts. This interplay suggests a two-stage process of visual perception, with implications for theories of consciousness and information processing in biological systems. This study also explores the evolutionary significance of accentuation in camouflage and sexual selection, providing insights into how perceptual mechanisms may have evolved to enhance adaptive fitness. Conclusions: Our results have broad implications for understanding visual cognition, design, and clinical applications related to attentional disorders.

This study examined whether and how a 15-day complete fast affects attentional network function. During a 15-day complete fasting, 17 healthy participants completed an attentional network test, while behavioral and EEG data were obtained. EEG results were marginally significant for the interaction between fasting stages and cue hints on the N1 amplitude of the altering network (F (3, 48) = 2.57, p = 0.065, η2p = 0.14). The interaction between fasting stages and cue hints was marginally significant on the N1 amplitude of the orienting network (F (3, 48) = 2.71, p = 0.056, η2p = 0.15). The interaction between fasting stages and target types was significant on the N2 amplitude of the executive control network (F (3, 48) = 2.86, p = 0.047, η2p = 0.15). The main effect of target types was significant on the P3 amplitude (F (1, 16) = 4.71, p = 0.045, η2p = 0.23). This suggests that participants' allocation of attentional resources to the three sub-networks of the attentional network was not significantly affected during the 15 days of complete fasting. These study results help further understand the relationship between complete fasting and attentional networks and provide theoretical support and reference for the survival and work of astronauts actively in complete fasting during future near-Earth planet landings or even deep space exploration.

During early life, we develop the ability to choose what we focus on and what we ignore, allowing us to regulate perception and action in complex environments. But how does this change influence how we spontaneously allocate attention to real-world objects during free behaviour? Here, in this narrative review, we examine this question by considering the time dynamics of spontaneous overt visual attention, and how these develop through early life. Even in early childhood, visual attention shifts occur both periodically and aperiodically. These reorientations become more internally controlled as development progresses. Increasingly with age, attention states also develop self-sustaining attractor dynamics, known as attention inertia, in which the longer an attention episode lasts, the more the likelihood increases of its continuing. These self-sustaining dynamics are driven by amplificatory interactions between engagement, comprehension, and distractibility. We consider why experimental measures show decline in sustained attention over time, while real-world visual attention often demonstrates the opposite pattern. Finally, we discuss multi-stable attention states, where both hypo-arousal (mind-wandering) and hyper-arousal (fragmentary attention) may also show self-sustaining attractor dynamics driven by moment-by-moment amplificatory child-environment interactions; and we consider possible applications of this work, and future directions.

Motor learning, in addition to influencing the practice of physical activity, affects cognitive skills related to prediction and decision. One key principle in sports training is designing exercise programs that optimize cognitive-motor performance, based on the Challenge Point Framework (CPF). The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of different levels of work difficulty on cognitive-perceptual indicators in table tennis beginners.

Forty-two female beginners in table tennis (ages 20-35) were divided into high, moderate, low task difficulty, and control groups based on pre-test scores of attention networks. The intervention consisted of 8 daily training sessions, each lasting 30 minutes. Pre- and post-test comparisons were made to evaluate changes in cognitive-perceptual performance.

Post-test results showed improvements in executive control of attention and cognitive effort across all groups. But there was no significant difference between the groups.

These findings suggest that cognitive task difficulty, much like functional difficulty, aligns with predictions from the CPF, enhancing executive control and cognitive effort, and thereby supporting motor learning.

Cognitive difficulty, like functional difficulty, takes advantage of the challenge point framework and improves cognitive-cognitive indicators.

Research into brain mechanisms and their impact on quality of life has gained significant traction, emphasising stress management, cognitive enhancement, and emotional well-being as essential components.

This study explores the relationship between brain health and overall wellness, focusing on neurobiological mechanisms and evidence-based interventions that enhance stress resilience in neurodivergent populations.

A comprehensive review of neuroscience and psychological literature was conducted, including neuroimaging and behavioural studies to assess the effectiveness of various interventions.

Findings indicate that targeted strategies - such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), cognitive training, and lifestyle modifications - significantly improve stress resilience, cognitive abilities, and emotional regulation. Key brain regions involved include the amygdala, prefrontal cortex, and hippocampus.

Implementing evidence-based interventions fosters improved quality of life through enhanced brain wellness. Future research should focus on scalable approaches that are inclusive of diverse populations.

The current study employed the Multilingual Assessment Instrument for Narratives (MAIN) to test comprehension of narrative macrostructure in Russian in a visual world eye-tracking paradigm. The four MAIN visual narratives are structurally similar and question referents' goals and internal states (IS). Previous research revealed that children's MAIN comprehension differed among the four narratives in German, Swedish, Russian, and Turkish, but it is not clear why. We tested whether the difference in comprehension was (a) present, (b) caused by complicated inferences in understanding IS compared with goals, and (c) ameliorated by orienting visual attention to the referents whose IS was critical for accurate comprehension. Our findings confirmed (a) and (b) but found no effect of attentional cues on accuracy for (c). The multidimensional theory of narrative organization of children's knowledge of macrostructure needs to consider the type of inferences necessary for IS that are influenced by subjective interpretation and reasoning.

Previous research suggests an association between exposure to nature and improved attention. However, no observational studies explored the underlying mechanisms or considered bluespace, and none used Polish data. We investigated the association between exposure to nature and attention, and whether it was mediated by nature perception, physical activity and sleep duration.

Data derived from the case-control NeuroSmog study comprised 195 participants with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and 457 participants without ADHD, all aged 10 to 13. Attention was evaluated using the computerized attention network test and the continuous performance test. Lifelong and current exposure to nature, determined by percentage of grass and tree cover and water presence within 500m buffer around residences, as well as domestic garden, were examined through linear, log-linear and negative binomial regressions. Potential pathways were explored using structural equation modelling.

Participants with ADHD with higher exposure to tree cover tended to have improved orienting ability, shorter reaction time and fewer correct rejections, while participants without ADHD tended to show decreased alertness and improved orienting ability. Participants with ADHD with higher exposure to grass cover tended to have longer reaction time, decreased alertness, improved orienting ability, reduced target discrimination ability, fewer correct rejections and less risky response style, while participants without ADHD tended to show decreased orienting ability, more mistakes, longer reaction time, better hit rate and more risky response style. Participants without ADHD with water in their neighbourhood tended to have improved orienting ability, fewer mistakes and better hit rate. Participants without ADHD with a garden tended to show improved target discrimination ability, better hit rate and more risky response style. No mediating pathways were revealed.

Tree cover and presence of garden and water tended to be associated with improved attention in Polish adolescents while grass tended to have negative impact.

To investigate how attention is affected in children with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) using the attention network test (ANT) combined with event-related potential (ERP) and time-frequency analysis.

Eighty-seven children aged 6-11 years with symptoms of snoring or mouth breathing during sleep were recruited from the Sleep Center of Beijing Children's Hospital from May to July, 2023. All participants completed the Mini-mental State Examination and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder rating scale. We acquired 32-lead electroencephalography (EEG) data while participants performed the ANT, followed by Polysomnography.

Of the 87 children, 21 had no OSA, 49 had mild OSA, and 17 had moderate to severe (MS) OSA. Each group had similar questionnaire scores, similar response time and accuracy for the different ANT conditions. There are alterations in the processing of three separate components of the attentional network in children with OSA. The amplitude of the N3 component at the FZ electrode in the MS OSA group was lower than that of the non-OSA and mild OSA groups (all P<0.05). In the executi control network phase, the energy of alpha band was higher in the MS OSA group than in the mild OSA group (Z=-2.624, P=0.026). The mean amplitude of the N3 component at the FZ electrode was correlated with the obstructive apnea-hypopnea index (OAHI) (r=0.232, P=0.038).

Attention impairment was observed as a reduced N3 in the frontal area in the MS OSA group, which was correlated with the OAHI. However, questionnaire and behavioral performance did not differ significantly between groups. These findings suggest that the N3 amplitude is a sensitive neuroelectrophysiological marker of OSA-related cognitive impairment.

This study investigated whether multilinguals who stutter differ from multilinguals who do not stutter in terms of attention networks. Towards that end, it measured (a) performance differences in attention networks between multilinguals who stutter and those who do not stutter and (b) the correlation between stuttering characteristics and attention networks. Twenty-four multilingual Dutch-English speaking adults (20-46y), half of whom were diagnosed with stuttering, completed the Attentional Network Task (ANT) that evaluates the attention networks of alerting, orienting, and executive control. A language and social background questionnaire and a lexical decision task (LexTALE) assessed the participants' language proficiency. The Stuttering Severity Instrument 4th Ed. and the Brief Version of the Unhelpful Thoughts and Beliefs About Stuttering Scale were used to evaluate stuttering characteristics. The two groups did not differ in the ANT in terms of reaction time and error rate scores. Furthermore, no differences were observed in the three attention networks between the groups. Lastly, no correlation was found between stuttering characteristics and attention networks. The results suggest that the attention abilities of multilinguals who stutter do not differ from multilinguals who do not stutter.

The importance of attentional capacity for academic performance is highlighted by the increasing demands placed on students during primary school. Between the ages of 7 and 12, there is an evolutionary improvement in attentional capacity and the school environment is considered an appropriate setting in which to develop programmes to improve attention. Heart rate variability is an appropriate indicator of attentional capacity. For all these reasons, a heart rate variability biofeedback intervention focused on breathing was developed and implemented to improve attention. The intervention consisted of two phases. In the first phase, the school teachers were trained to develop the intervention; in the second, students received five individual sessions from their teachers. In each individual session, they learned to breathe to increase their heart rate variability. A total of 272 girls and 314 boys (N = 586) aged 7-12 years participated in the programme. To study the impact of the intervention on three primary school age groups, the attention of Control and Experimental groups was assessed before and after the implementation of the programme. According to the data obtained, despite developmental improvements, the students who participated in the programme showed an increase in heart rate variability and an improvement in attentional capacity, with a greater impact on the first cycle of primary school. The usefulness of heart rate variability biofeedback interventions in improving attention in primary school is discussed and arguments for their use in children are presented.

This cross-sectional monocentric study aims to utilize the Early Childhood Attention Battery to investigate early attention patterns in young preterm children and ascertain the extent to which their attentional abilities diverge from those of term peers.

Inclusion criteria encompassed gestational age < 34 weeks, with assessments conducted between 3 and 5 years 11 months. Exclusion criteria included major brain lesions, significant motor or behavioral disorders, and intellectual functioning with IQ < 70. Preterm raw scores converted to scaled scores and percentiles. Frequency analysis compared preterm scores to norms. Non-parametric tests assessed significance between scaled scores and subgroups (age, gestational age, sex, birth weight).

One hundred nineteen preterm patients were enrolled in the study between November 2016 and June 2023. Comparisons with published norms showed lower mean scores across all subtests and domains for preterm children. A notable proportion of assessments (13-40%) fell below the 5th percentile, with the dual task item in sustained attention being the highest (40%). Sex did not predict differences, except for auditory sustained and visual search subtests. Gestational age did not correlate with abnormal scores, consistent with previous studies. The prevalence of assessments below the 5th percentile highlights preterm children's vulnerability to attention issues. The test's sensitivity to attention deficits in preterm populations suggests its potential in identifying at-risk children early for tailored interventions.

The battery effectively detects attentional deficits in preterm children. Early detection and targeted insights support tailored educational interventions. By focusing on specific attention skills, the battery guides clinicians in choosing individualized or group activities based on areas most affected.

• Attention is often impaired in preterm children but it is not systematically investigated before school age. The ECAB is a tool specifically designed for preschool children.

• Using the ECAB we evidenced a different level of attention between pre-term and term-born children at preschool age.

Hypervigilance involves increased attentional scanning of the environment to facilitate the detection of possible threats. Accordingly, this state is mostly bound to external attention and as a corollary, it might be detrimental to internal attention and further affect attentional balance defined as the ability to switch dynamically between these two domains. In the current study, we aimed to address this question and induced hypervigilance in 49 healthy participants through the presentation of a task-unrelated aversive sound while they performed the switching attention task (SAT), which was previously devised to study attentional balance. The skin conductance response results, as well as subjective sound ratings, confirmed that the hypervigilance manipulation was successful. At the behavioral level, hypervigilance led to a more symmetrical balance between internal and external attention compared to the control and neutral conditions, where it was asymmetrical, replicating previous studies. Moreover, using a drift diffusion model, we found that hypervigilance reduced the drift rate for internal repetition trials, suggesting that hypervigilance possibly caused an impaired shielding of internal attention.

In response to shortcomings of the current classification system in translating discoveries from basic science to clinical applications, NIMH offers a new framework for studying mental health disorders called Research Domain Criteria (RDoC). This framework holds a multidimensional outlook on psychopathologies focusing on functional domains of behavior and their implementing neural circuits. In parallel, the Predictive Processing (PP) framework stands as a leading theory of human brain function, offering a unified explanation for various types of information processing in the brain. While both frameworks share an interest in studying psychopathologies based on pathophysiology, their integration still needs to be explored. Here, we argued in favor of the explanatory power of PP to be a groundwork for the RDoC matrix in validating its constructs and creating testable hypotheses about mechanistic interactions between molecular biomarkers and clinical traits. Together, predictive processing may serve as a foundation for achieving the goals of the RDoC framework.

Prior studies suggest that the reductions in physical activity during Covid-19-related lockdowns impacted physical and mental health. Whether reductions in physical activity that occurred during lockdowns also relate to cognitive functions such as memory and attention is less explored. Here, we investigated whether changes in physical activity (PA) that occurred during and following Covid-19-related lockdowns could predict a variety of measures of cognitive performance in 318 young adults. Participants were assessed on their engagement in PA before, during, and after lockdowns. They also completed tests of cognitive control, working memory, and short-term memory following lockdown(s). As expected, engagement in PA decreased during lockdown and returned to near baseline levels thereafter. Decreases in PA during lockdown predicted individual differences in cognitive performance following lockdown. Greater reductions in PA during lockdown were associated with lower scores on the go/no-go task, a measure of cognitive control ability, and the n-back task, a measure of working memory performance. Larger post-lockdown increases in PA were associated with higher scores on the same tasks. Individual differences in pandemic-related stress and insomnia also predicted cognitive outcomes. These findings suggest that reductions of PA can predict cognitive performance, and underscore the importance of maintaining PA for cognitive health, especially in situations such as lockdowns.

Subcortical arousal systems are known to play a key role in controlling sustained changes in attention and conscious awareness. Recent studies indicate that these systems have a major influence on short-term dynamic modulation of visual attention, but their role across sensory modalities is not fully understood. In this study, we investigated shared subcortical arousal systems across sensory modalities during transient changes in attention using block and event-related fMRI paradigms. We analyzed massive publicly available fMRI datasets collected while 1,561 participants performed visual, auditory, tactile, and taste perception tasks. Our analyses revealed a shared circuit of subcortical arousal systems exhibiting early transient increases in activity in midbrain reticular formation and central thalamus across perceptual modalities, as well as less consistent increases in pons, hypothalamus, basal forebrain, and basal ganglia. Identifying these networks is critical for understanding mechanisms of normal attention and consciousness and may help facilitate subcortical targeting for therapeutic neuromodulation.

Self-regulation abilities in childhood are predictive of a range of challenges later in life, making it important to identify difficulties in this area as early as possible. Autistic children and those with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) often have difficulties with self-regulation, but little is known about the similarities and differences in such abilities across neurodevelopmental conditions.

We examined self-regulation using a delay of gratification task in 36-month-old autistic children (n = 20), those showing clinically relevant concerns for ADHD (i.e. ADHD Concerns; n = 24), and Comparison children without these conditions (n = 130); early predictors of self-regulation were also assessed.

Both the Autism and ADHD Concerns groups had greater difficulty waiting for a desired snack than the Comparison group. At the longest delay trial (30 seconds), a substantial percentage of autistic children (50%) and those with ADHD Concerns (35%) consumed the snack prematurely, in contrast to only 16% of the Comparison group. Parent-reported temperament-based impulsivity at 18 months and examiner-observed ADHD-like traits at 24 months were associated with increased self-regulation challenges at 36 months, regardless of group. Adjusting for verbal abilities attenuated some of these differences and associations, suggesting that language may be an important mechanism undergirding early self-regulatory abilities.

Given possible links between preschool self-regulation and a range of critical functional outcomes, future studies may explore the efficacy of early interventions targeting impulsivity and regulatory behaviors in infants and toddlers at elevated likelihood for developing self-regulation challenges to potentially reduce the impact of these difficulties later in life.

Since the 1920s, motor development has been a strong research theme, focusing on infants' acquisition of motor skills, such as turning over and crawling. In the 1980s, a dynamic systems approach began emphasizing children's own motivation, which helped explain individual differences in the emergence of motor skills. However, few studies have examined factors contributing to individual differences in early motor development. In response, we investigated directional associations between temperament and motor development in children aged 6 months to 3 years.

The Japan Environment and Children's Study (JECS-A) recruited mothers between January 2011 and March 2014. 2,639 mothers were sent a questionnaire at 6 months, and responses were received from 1,657 of them, with full data for children aged 6 months, 2 years, and 3 years, including from three mothers of twins, were analyzed through structural equation modeling. Question items regarding fine and gross motor activities at each age were selected by pediatric neurologists specializing in developmental disorders. The Japanese version of the Little Developmental Coordination Disorder Questionnaire was administered at 42 months. Temperament was assessed through the parent-reported Behavior Questionnaire (short version) for infants, toddlers, and children. In all three measures, Surgency and Negative Affectivity were extracted, and Effortful Control, a major form of self-regulation, was found from toddlerhood onward, as in previous studies.

A path diagram reveals that at 6 months, Surgency and Orienting/Regulation interacted positively with the motor function (respectively, r = .57; r = 40, ps < .001). Up to about 3 years, Effortful Control plays a role in facilitating the motor function, resulting in positive effects on Control During Movement (CDM), General Coordination (GC), and Fine Motor Movement (FMM) (β = 14; β = 30; β = 37, ps < .001). Surgency had a positive effect on CDM and GC (β = 18; β = 06, ps < .001), whereas Negative Affect had a negative influence on FMM and GC (β = -.08; β = -.08, ps < .001).

While Surgency may be a key reactive factor in early motor development, Effortful Control and Movement develop in an interactive manner.

UMIN000030786. Scientific Title: The Japan Environment and Children's Study. Date of disclosure of the study: 2018/01/15. Only questionnaires were administered in the study.

An important aspect of any social interaction involves inferring other people's mental states, intentions, and their likely next actions, by way of facial expression, body posture, eye gaze, and limb movements. An actor's production of actions during social interactions and the observer's perception of these actions are thus closely linked. In this review, we outline an action-observation methodology, which not only allows for separate analyses of production and perception, but also promotes the study of the dynamic interaction between these two sides of every social exchange. We review two lines of research that have benefited from its application. The first line focuses on individuals performing tasks alone and the observation of their actions by other individuals in order to make inferences about their attentional states. The second line of study focused on pairs of individuals performing collaborative tasks in naturalistic settings and the observation of these performances by other individuals. We offer several suggestions for how this methodology can be extended to improve on the limitations of the present studies, as well as some suggestions of how to use this methodology to venture into new territory. Our aim is to inspire future research applications of this methodology in order to advance our understanding of social action production and perception.

Random noise, such as white or pink noise, has been shown to have beneficial effects on the performance of individuals with (elevated traits of) ADHD. Both the state regulation deficit (SRD) account and the moderate brain arousal (MBA) model argue that this effect is due to enhanced cognitive arousal. The MBA model specifically attributes this to random noise affecting dopaminergic (DA) transmission via stochastic resonance (SR). However, he requirement of SR and the role of DA have not yet been properly examined. To test this, proper control conditions are needed.

To examine the requirement of SR, 60 neurotypical adults with varying levels of ADHD traits performed a slow two-choice reaction time (S1-S2) task in three auditory conditions: pink (random) noise, a pure 100 Hz tone (non-random noise), and silence. All participants also completed the Attention Network Test (ANT) in two conditions (pink noise and silence) to inspect the effect on executive network efficiency which may serve as a proxy measure of DA. ADHD traits were assessed via self-report.

Auditory stimulation improved performance on the S1-S2 task in participants with elevated ADHD traits, however this was the case for both pink noise and the pure tone. Pink noise did not affect executive network efficiency, irrespective of ADHD traits.

Our results suggest that stochastic resonance is not required for pink noise to have a beneficial effect on ADHD-related performance. Pink noise did not affect our DA proxy measure, however this negative finding should be interpreted with caution. Our results cast doubt on the tenets of the MBA model, warranting further research.

Understanding the neural substrate of altered conscious states is an important cultural, scientific, and clinical endeavour. Although hypnosis causes strong shifts in conscious perception and cognition, it remains largely unclear how hypnosis affects information processing in cortical networks. Here we manipulated the depth of hypnotic states to study information processing between cortical regions involved in attention and awareness. We used high-density Electroencephalography (EEG) to record resting-state cortical activity from 30 hypnosis experts during two hypnotic states with different depth. Each participant entered a light and a deep hypnotic state as well as two well-matched control states. Bridging top-down and lateralisation models of hypnosis, we found that interhemispheric frontoparietal connectivity distinguished hypnosis and control conditions, while no difference was found between the two hypnotic states. Using a graph-theoretic measure, we revealed that the amount of information passing through individual nodes (measured via betweenness centrality) is reduced during hypnosis relative to control states. Finally, we found that theta power was enhanced during hypnosis. Our result contributes to the current discussion around a role for theta power in bringing about hypnotic states, as well as other altered conscious states. Overall, our findings support the notion that altered top-down control in frontoparietal regions facilitates hypnosis by integrating information between cortical hemispheres.

The attention network test (ANT) is a tool for assessing the executive, alerting, and orienting components of attention. However, conflicting findings exist regarding the nature and correlation between attention networks. This study aims to investigate the influence of eye movement time on the assessment of attention network efficiency. Forty male students, with an average age of 20.8 ± 1.3 years, participated in the study. The revised attention network test was conducted concurrently with the recording of the electrooculogram signal. The electrooculogram signal was used to estimate eye placement time on target stimuli. Considering eye movement time for calculating the score of each network was proposed as a novel method. The study explored the nature of attention networks and their relationships, and revealed significant effects for attention networks with and without considering the eye movement time. Additionally, a significant correlation is observed between the alerting and orienting networks. However, no significant correlation is found between attention networks using the proposed method. Considering eye movement time alters the assessment of attention network efficiency and modifies the correlation among attention networks.

Determining visual attention during cognitive tasks using activation MRI remains challenging. This study aimed to develop a new eye-tracking (ET) post-processing platform to enhance data accuracy, validate the feasibility of subsequent ET-fMRI applications, and provide tool support. Sixteen volunteers aged 18 to 20 were exposed to a visual temporal paradigm with changing images of objects and faces in various locations while their eye movements were recorded using an MRI-compatible ET system. The results indicate that the accuracy of the data significantly improved after post-processing. Participants generally maintained their visual attention on the screen, with mean gaze positions ranging from 89.1% to 99.9%. In cognitive tasks, the gaze positions showed adherence to instructions, with means ranging from 46.2% to 50%. Temporal consistency assessments indicated prolonged visual tasks can lead to decreased attention during certain tasks. The proposed methodology effectively identified and quantified visual artifacts and losses, providing a precise measure of visual attention. This study offers a robust framework for future work integrating filtered eye-tracking data with fMRI analyses, supporting cognitive neuroscience research.

Numerous studies have demonstrated the impact of flavor cues on visual search, yet the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. In this experiment, we used event-related potentials (ERPs) to examine whether, and if so, how flavor information could lead to attentional capture by, and suppression of, flavor-associated colors. The participants were asked to taste certain flavored beverages and subsequently complete a shape-based visual search task, while their neural activities were simultaneously recorded. The behavioral results revealed that the participants made slower responses when a distractor in the flavor-associated color (DFAC) was present, suggesting an attentional bias toward the flavor-associated color. The ERP results revealed that the N2pc was detected if the target and the DFAC were shown in the same visual field (e.g. both target and DFCA on the right side of the screen), when the pairings between flavor cues and target colors were incongruent. However, the N2pc was not observed if the target and the DFAC were shown in the opposite visual fields (e.g. target on the right and DFCA on the left side of the screen) for the incongruent color-flavor pairings. Moreover, the distractor positivity (Pd) was observed if the target and the DFAC were shown in the opposite visual field for the congruent color-flavor pairings. These results suggest that both attentional capture and suppression are involved in the influence of flavor information on visual search. Collectively, these findings provide initial electrophysiological evidence on the mechanisms of the crossmodal influence of flavor cues on visual search.

Cognitive control is a predictor of later-life outcomes and may underpin higher order executive processes. The present study examines the development of early cognitive control during the first 24-month. We evaluated a tablet-based assessment of cognitive control among infants aged 18- and 24-month. We also examined concurrent and longitudinal associations between attentional disengagement, general cognitive skills and cognitive control. Participants (N = 60, 30 female) completed the tablet-task at 18- and 24-month of age. Attentional disengagement and general cognitive development were assessed at 5-, 8-, 12-, 18- and 24-month using an eye-tracking measure and the Mullen Scales of Early Learning (MSEL), respectively. The cognitive control task demonstrated good internal consistency, sensitivity to age-related change in performance and stable individual differences. No associations were found between infant cognitive control and MSEL scores longitudinally or concurrently. The eye-tracking task revealed that slower attentional disengagement at 8-month, but faster disengagement at 18-month, predicted higher cognitive control scores at 24-month. This task may represent a useful tool for measuring emergent cognitive control. The multifaceted relationship between attention and infant cognitive control suggests that the rapid development of the attentional system in infancy results in distinct attentional skills, at different ages, being relevant for cognitive control development.

This paper aims to identify how cognitive and emotional self-regulation (SR) processes in infants from 0 to 36 months are defined within the Latin American academic context. A systematic review based on the PRISMA methodology was implemented to review the conceptual and operational definition of SR, the type of study, the country of origin of the authors, and the reference to the adequacy of the research to the specific cultural context of Latin America. Twenty-two papers that met the selection criteria were selected. The study identified four types of conceptual definitions for SR, each associated with different constructs or sets of constructs: executive functions, temperament, the integration of executive functions and temperament, and physiological homeostasis. These definitions were based on mainstream approaches to SR rather than being specific to the Latin American region. The study also found compatibility between the sample and some observed trends. On one hand, there was an underrepresentation of the Latin American population in high-impact publications on the subject. However, from 2010 to the present, there is evidence of growth in publications on SR in the analyzed sample. On the other hand, the sample also indicates a disparate representation of the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean in existing publications. Finally, concerning the adaptation to the cultural context of the research, a small number of studies addressed this variable in a specific and significant way. However, even in these cases, the approach is based on models and hypotheses that are limited to understanding the Latin American region's cultural, socioeconomic, and demographic diversity.

Numerous studies have shown a decrease in executive functions (EF) associated with aging. However, few investigations examined whether this decrease is similar between sexes throughout adulthood. The present study investigated if age-related decline in EF differs between men and women from early to late adulthood.

A total of 302 participants (181 women) aged between 18 and 78 years old completed four computer-based cognitive tasks at home: an arrow-based Flanker task, a letter-based Visual search task, the Trail Making Test, and the Corsi task. These tasks measured inhibition, attention, cognitive flexibility, and working memory, respectively. To investigate the potential effects of age, sex, and their interaction on specific EF and a global EF score, we divided the sample population into five age groups (i.e., 18-30, 31-44, 45-54, 55-64, 65-78) and conducted analyses of covariance (MANCOVA and ANCOVA) with education and pointing device as control variables.

Sex did not significantly affect EF performance across age groups. However, in every task, participants from the three youngest groups (< 55 y/o) outperformed the ones from the two oldest. Results from the global score also suggest that an EF decrease is distinctly noticeable from 55 years old onward.

Our results suggest that age-related decline in EF, including inhibition, attention, cognitive flexibility, and working memory, becomes apparent around the age of 55 and does not differ between sexes at any age. This study provides additional data regarding the effects of age and sex on EF across adulthood, filling a significant gap in the existing literature.

Currently no comprehensive meta-analysis of MBI efficacy on global and unique cognitive subdomains exist.

Examined the effects of MBIs on global cognition and 15 cognitive subdomains. Inclusion criteria: meditation naïve participants; randomized controlled trial; outcome included one objective or subjective cognitive functioning measure; primary focus was teaching mindfulness skills. Exclusion criteria: inadequate data; one-session ; control condition contained any MBI component. Robust variance estimation and moderator analyses controlling for presence of treatment fidelity were conducted.

One-hundred-and-eleven RCTs (n = 9,538) met eligibility criteria. MBIs had small-to-moderate significant effects on global cognition, executive attention, working memory accuracy, inhibition accuracy, shifting accuracy, sustained attention, and subjective cognitive functioning (vs. waitlist/no-treatment, g = 0.257-0.643; vs. active controls, g = 0.192-0.394). MBIs did not impact executive functioning (EF) latency indices, verbal fluency, processing speed, episodic memory, and cognitive error. Treatment effects were stronger for those with elevated psychiatric symptoms vs. healthy controls, and medical samples, studies with complete-case (vs. intention-to-treat) analysis, face-to-face (vs. self-guided) delivery, and non-standard (vs. standard MBI).

MBIs consistently yielded small-to-moderate yet practically meaningful effect sizes on global cognition and six cognitive subdomains that captured accuracy vs. latency-based indices of EF and sustained accuracy.

Background: The Attention Control Scale (ATTC) is a widely used self-report measure of attentional control capacities. However, research questions whether it accurately substitutes for objective attention control tasks. This study investigated ATTC's correlation with the Attention Network Test (ANT) across alerting, orienting, and executive control networks. We also used the Inverse Efficiency Score (IES) as an additional factor to check ATTC using ANT. Methods: We administered 143 participants who completed the ATTC questionnaire and ANT behavioral test assessing network efficiencies. Results: The results showed non-significant ATTC-ANT correlations across all networks. In an additional analysis, while the ATTC demonstrated factorial validity, subjective control was disconnected from actual attention regulation efficiency. A small male advantage emerged for executive control. Conclusions: Dissociations likely stem from attention complexity and method variances rather than overlap. The findings do not support the ATTC as a stand-alone proxy for performance-based measurement. Multifaceted assessments are essential for comprehensively capturing attentional control.

Developmental changes in functional neural networks are sensitive to environmental influences. This EEG study investigated how infant brain responses relate to the social context that their families live in. Event-related potentials of 255 healthy, awake infants between six and fourteen months were measured during a passive auditory oddball paradigm. Infants were presented with 200 standard tones and 48 randomly distributed deviants. All infants are part of a longitudinal study focusing on families with socioeconomic and/or cultural challenges (Bremen Initiative to Foster Early Childhood Development; BRISE; Germany). As part of their familial socioeconomic status (SES), parental level of education and infant's migration background were assessed with questionnaires. For 30.6% of the infants both parents had a low level of education (≤10 years of schooling) and for 43.1% of the infants at least one parent was born abroad. The N2-P3a complex is associated with unintentional directing of attention to deviant stimuli and was analysed in frontocentral brain regions. Age was utilised as a control variable. Our results show that tone deviations in infants trigger an immature N2-P3a complex. Contrary to studies with older children or adults, the N2 amplitude was more positive for deviants than for standards. This may be related to an immature superposition of the N2 with the P3a. For infants whose parents had no high-school degree and were born abroad, this tendency was increased, indicating that facing multiple challenges as a young family impacts on the infant's early neural development. As such, attending to unexpected stimulus changes may be important for early learning processes. Variations of the infant N2-P3a complex may, thus, relate to early changes in attentional capacity and learning experiences due to familial challenges. This points towards the importance of early prevention programs.

The impact of deafness on visual attention has been widely discussed in previous research. It has been noted that deficiencies and strengths of previous research can be attributed to temporal or spatial aspects of attention, as well as variations in development and clinical characteristics. Visual attention is categorized into three networks: orienting (exogenous and endogenous), alerting (phasic and tonic), and executive control. This study aims to contribute new neuroscientific evidence supporting this hypothesis. This paper presents a systematic review of the international literature from the past 15 years focused on visual attention in the deaf population. The final review included 24 articles. The function of the orienting network is found to be enhanced in deaf adults and children, primarily observed in native signers without cochlear implants, while endogenous orienting is observed only in the context of gaze cues in children, with no differences found in adults. Results regarding alerting and executive function vary depending on clinical characteristics and paradigms used. Implications for future research on visual attention in the deaf population are discussed.

Attention to emotional signals conveyed by others is critical for gleaning information about potential social partners and the larger social context. Children appear to detect social threats (e.g., angry faces) faster than non-threatening social signals (e.g., neutral faces). However, methods that rely on behavioral responses alone are limited in identifying different attentional processes involved in threat detection or responding. To address this question, we used a visual search paradigm to assess behavioral (i.e., reaction time to select a target image) and attentional (i.e., eye-tracking fixations, saccadic shifts, and dwell time) responses in children (ages 7-10 years old, N = 42) and adults (ages 18-23 years old, N = 46). In doing so, we compared behavioral responding and attentional detection and engagement with threatening (i.e., angry and fearful faces) and non-threatening (i.e., happy faces) social signals. Overall, children and adults were faster to detect social threats (i.e., angry faces), but spent a smaller proportion of time dwelling on them and had slower behavioral responses. Findings underscore the importance of combining different measures to parse differences between processing versus responding to social signals across development. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: Children and adults are slower to select angry faces when measured by time to mouse-click but faster to detect angry faces when measured by time to first eye fixation. The use of eye-tracking addresses some limitations of prior visual search tasks with children that rely on behavioral responses alone. Results suggest shorter time to first fixation, but subsequently, shorter duration of dwell on social threat in children and adults.

Cross-task stability refers to performance consistency across different settings and measures of the same construct. Cross-task stability can help us understand developmental processes, including how risks such as preterm birth affect outcomes. We investigated cross-task stability of attention control in 32 preterm and 39 term infants. All infants had the same chronological age at time of testing (5 months) but varied in gestational age (GA) at birth (30-42 weeks). Infants completed an experimental attention following task with a researcher and a naturalistic play observation with their mothers. Both preterm and term infants demonstrated attention following in the experimental task. GA and flexibility of attention were related: the likelihood of no turn trials decreased with increasing GA. To evaluate cross-task stability, we compared attention performance in the experimental and naturalistic settings. Flexible attention shifts on the experimental task were positively related to attention to objects in the naturalistic observation. Furthermore, the association between flexible attention shifts on the experimental task and attention to objects in the naturalistic observation was moderated by GA. Our study provides initial evidence that the consolidation of attention control increases with GA. These findings highlight the value of comparing experimental and observational measures of attention.

Acute physical activity influences cognitive performance. However, the relationship between exercise intensity, neural network activity, and cognitive performance remains poorly understood. This study examined the effects of different exercise intensities on resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) and cognitive performance. Twenty male athletes (27.3 ± 3.6 years) underwent cycling exercises of different intensities (high, low, rest/control) on different days in randomized order. Before and after, subjects performed resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging and a behavioral Attention Network Test (ANT). Independent component analysis and Linear mixed effects models examined rsFC changes within ten resting-state networks. No significant changes were identified in ANT performance. Resting-state analyses revealed a significant interaction in the Left Frontoparietal Network, driven by a non-significant rsFC increase after low-intensity and a significant rsFC decrease after high-intensity exercise, suggestive of an inverted U-shape relationship between exercise intensity and rsFC. Similar but trend-level rsFC interactions were observed in the Dorsal Attention Network (DAN) and the Cerebellar Basal Ganglia Network. Explorative correlation analysis revealed a significant positive association between rsFC increases in the right superior parietal lobule (part of DAN) and better ANT orienting in the low-intensity condition. Results indicate exercise intensity-dependent subacute rsFC changes in cognition-related networks, but their cognitive-behavioral relevance needs further investigation.

The Stroop task and subtraction rely on the different cognitive processes and cerebral regions, but both these cognitive functions interact with posture. The study of cognitive-motor interactions falls under the concept of sharing resources, implying that resources for processing are limited. Researchers try to understand this interaction by constructing dual task (DT) paradigms. None have investigated the Stroop and subtraction tasks in three inherently simple postures in two groups of young adults. This study aimed to test whether a given posture benefits a given cognitive function when cognitive and postural tasks are not overly demanding and are underpinned by common cerebral structures. This study presents the results of 60 healthy young adults performing a subtraction task in three postures (sitting, standing, and walking) and 57 healthy young adults performing the Stroop task in the same three postures. Our results showed that performance at the Stroop task, in terms of number of correct answers and interference, are better while standing or even walking compared to sitting while subtraction is better sitting compared to standing and walking. Moreover, static postural parameters did not vary when in DT compared to single task. This means that there was no additional cost on posture when achieving the cognitive activity simultaneously. The absence of impact of the DT on postural parameters in static postures and the changes in the gait pace when walking suggest that cognitive tasks can be achieved in various postures, without being too costly on posture.