Functional specificity of the locus coeruleus-norepinephrine system in the attentional networks

Abstract

Comments on an article by R. Geva et al. (see record 2013-41193-001). Geva et al.'s study provided evidence for the role of the locus coeruleus-norepinephrine (LC–NE) system in the three attention processes, but both the exact mechanisms governing its involvement and whether and how the attention networks interact remain unclear. Furthermore, their conclusions are not easily reconciled with the adaptive gain theory. Thus, additional research is required to fully understand the temporo-spatial attributes of the putative construct-specific influence of the LC–NE system in the alerting, orienting, and executive (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved)