Focus on what's important

The world contains far too much information for anyone to fully process. Cognition is the mental processes that occur allowing us to acquire knowledge about the world through senses, thought and experience. Given that cognition is limited, its selective distribution to information is what we know as attention. Nearly 1 in 5 Australian children are affected by mental health and behavioural conditions. An overwhelming amount so exhibit symptoms that are related to attention. The brain and its attentional pathways however, are still not well understood. My PhD investigates how the pulvinar, a deep brain structure, is involved in regulating visual attention. By understanding the functional circuitry in the brain, we may be able to progress in our understanding in neurodevelopmental cognitive disorders.