The dorsal attention network (DAN), also known anatomically as the dorsal frontoparietal network (D-FPN), is a large-scale brain network of the human brain that is primarily composed of the

intraparietal sulcus The intraparietal sulcus (IPS) is located on the lateral surface of the parietal lobe, and consists of an oblique and a horizontal portion. The IPS contains a series of functionally distinct subregions that have been intensively investigated usin ...

(IPS) and frontal eye fields (FEF). It is named and most known for its role in voluntary orienting of visuospatial attention. As the IPS and FEF were noticed to be activated during many attention-demanding tasks, this network was sometimes referred to as the task-positive network to contrast it against the task-negative network, or default mode network. However, this dichotomy is now considered misleading, because the default mode network can be active in certain cognitive tasks.

Anatomy

The core regions of the DAN are the IPS and FEF of each hemisphere. Other regions of the network may include the middle temporal region (MT+), superior parietal lobule (SPL), supplementary eye field (SEF), and ventral

premotor cortex The premotor cortex is an area of the motor cortex lying within the frontal lobe of the brain just anterior to the primary motor cortex. It occupies part of Brodmann's area 6. It has been studied mainly in primates, including monkeys and huma ...

. More recent works indicate that the

cerebellum The cerebellum (Latin for "little brain") is a major feature of the hindbrain of all vertebrates. Although usually smaller than the cerebrum, in some animals such as the mormyrid fishes it may be as large as or even larger. In humans, the cere ...

may participate in this network as well. Less studied regions include the right

dorsolateral prefrontal cortex The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC or DL-PFC) is an area in the prefrontal cortex of the primate brain. It is one of the most recently derived parts of the human brain. It undergoes a prolonged period of maturation which lasts until adultho ...

and

superior colliculus In neuroanatomy, the superior colliculus () is a structure lying on the roof of the mammalian midbrain. In non-mammalian vertebrates, the homologous structure is known as the optic tectum, or optic lobe. The adjective form '' tectal'' is commo ...

Function

The DAN is most prominently involved in goal-directed, voluntary control of visuospatial attention. Corbetta et al., who first defined and named the DAN in the early-to-mid 2000s, suggest that the network is involved in general top-down selection of stimuli and responses, including other modalities (e.g. auditory, tactile). However, evidence that the full DAN is involved in auditory top-down attention has been questioned. The dorsal attention network dynamically interacts with the ventral attention network (or salience network) according to task demands. The inferior frontal junction configures this interaction between the two networks during task switches or attention shifts.

Clinical significance

Reduced connectivity within the dorsal and ventral attention networks has been linked to higher levels of

attention deficit hyperactivity disorder Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by excessive amounts of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity that are pervasive, impairing in multiple contexts, and otherwise age-inap ...

symptoms. Similarly, reduced connectivity between the DAN and the frontoparietal network is associated with

major depressive disorder Major depressive disorder (MDD), also known as clinical depression, is a mental disorder characterized by at least two weeks of pervasive low mood, low self-esteem, and loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities. Introdu ...

. On the other hand, overactivation of the DAN has been observed in patients with

schizophrenia Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by continuous or relapsing episodes of psychosis. Major symptoms include hallucinations (typically hearing voices), delusions, and disorganized thinking. Other symptoms include social wi ...

Nomenclature

There are several variations of this network's name in neuroscience literature, such as the dorsal attention system, dorsal frontoparietal attention network, and frontoparietal attention network. Until the discovery of other networks, such as the frontoparietal control network, the term ''task-positive network'' referred to the DAN. The term ''task-positive networks'' is still sometimes used to refer to all non- default-mode networks. In 2019, Uddin et al. proposed that ''dorsal frontoparietal network'' (''D-FPN'') be used as a standard anatomical name for this network.

References

{{Human connectomics Brain Attention Cognitive neuroscience