Spatial attention is comprised of neural mechanisms that boost sensory processing at a behaviorally relevant location while filtering out competing information. The present review examines functional specialization in the network of brain regions that directs such preferential processing. This attention network includes both cortical (e.g., frontal and parietal cortices) and subcortical (e.g., the superior colliculus and the pulvinar nucleus of the thalamus) structures. Here, we piece together existing evidence that these various nodes of the attention network have dissociable functional roles by synthesizing results from electrophysiology and neuroimaging studies. We describe functional specialization across several dimensions (e.g., at different processing stages and within different behavioral contexts), while focusing on spatial attention as a dynamic process that unfolds over time. Functional contributions from each node of the attention network can change on a moment-to-moment timescale, providing the necessary cognitive flexibility for sampling from highly dynamic environments.

中文翻译：

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注意力网络的功能专业化。

空间注意力由神经机制组成，可增强行为相关位置的感觉处理，同时过滤掉竞争信息。本综述研究了指导此类优先处理的大脑区域网络的功能专业化。该注意网络包括皮质（例如，额叶皮质和顶叶皮质）和皮质下（例如，丘脑的上丘和枕核）结构。在这里，我们通过综合电生理学和神经影像学研究的结果，将现有证据拼凑在一起，证明注意力网络的这些不同节点具有可分离的功能作用。我们描述了跨多个维度的功能专业化（例如，在不同的处理阶段和不同的行为背景下），同时关注空间注意力作为随时间展开的动态过程。注意力网络每个节点的功能贡献可以在每时每刻的时间尺度上发生变化，为从高度动态的环境中采样提供必要的认知灵活性。