A framework for studying the neural basis of attention

There is a high degree of consensus between the contributors to this volume on the neural correlates of attention. This agreement relates both to the implicit framework the authors apply to their studies of attention and also to the brain regions that are implicated. In this epilogue I will attempt to make explicit tile framework that is used and will explore the assumptio ns that underlie the rules used for identifying the sites of attentional mo dulation and the sources of the modulatory signals. These assumptions have proved very useful, but most still require further investigation. The disti nction between bottom-up and top-down processes is a key components of the framework, but is also a potential source of confusion. It seems that botto m-up processing, in the psychological sense of not being under voluntary co ntrol, can involve top-down processes in the physiological sense of involvi ng the feedback of neural signals. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All right s reserved.