Attentional abilities

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th ed. (DSM-IV) criteria for ADHD include symptoms of inattention and hyperactivity or/impulsiv-ity patients can have either combined type, or predominantly inattentive (see below) or predominantly hy-peractive/impulsive types (American Psychiatric Association, 1994). Many of the symptoms of inattention relate to attentional abilities of the PFC—for example, difficulty sustaining attention, difficulty organizing, easily distracted, and forgetful. However, other symptoms described by DSM-FV could result from either PFC or posterior cortical attentional dysfunction— e.g., does not seem to listen, reluctance or difficulty engaging in tasks that require mental effort, poor attention to details. Thus, these symptoms could arise either due to poor attention regulation by the PFC or due to poor attentional allocation by the posterior cortices. Similarly, many of the symptoms of hyperactivity/... 

The Internet is bursting with claims that pills and drinks containing extracts of the Ginkgo biloba plant may neutralize free radicals, dilate the blood vessels in your brain, make you smarter, and slow the aging process. How The claim is that Gingko biloba increases the function of acetylcholine neurons and thereby enhances memory and arouses and improves attentional ability. 

Cannabis administration acutely disrupts performance of complex tasks requiring continuous monitoring and the ability to shift attention rapidly between various stimuli (54,55). These same attentional abilities are required when operating a motor vehicle. Cannabis administration impairs performance on laboratory tests that model various components of driving (56) and increas-... 

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