NEUROBIOPHYSIAL DYNAMICS OF MEMORY AND ATTENTION

THE NEUROBIOPHYSICS OF LIFE AND MIND, Nizamettin DALKILIÇ, Editör, Bidge Yayınları, Ankara, ss.50-72, 2025

The brain serves as the core of cognitive functions,

controlling learning, memory, and attention, and is organized into a

complex network (Kandel, Schwartz, & Jessell, 2013). An approach

focusing on the biophysics of these processes offers a

neurobiophysical foundation by describing the structural, electrical,

and chemical dynamics of neuronal activity (Buzsáki, & Draguhn,

2004). Brain memory is comprised of the processes of encoding

learned information, retaining it, and retrieving the stored

information. Structures in the medial temporal lobe, including the

hippocampus, are crucial for these functions (Squire, & Zola-

Morgan, 1991). These processes are influenced by synaptic plasticity

and oscillatory activity at the neurobiophysical level, as described by

( Bliss, & Lømo, 1973; Fell, & Axmacher, 2011). Attention involves

the selection of a specific target for subsequent processing and the allocation of neural resources to that target. This process also

enhances information processing efficiency by allocating resources

towards specific stimuli (Posner, & Petersen, 1990). The process is

linked to the electrical activity patterns and synchronisation

dynamics of cortical networks (Fries, 2009). Attentional processes

are influenced by interactions between brain regions like the

prefrontal cortex, the parietal lobe, and the thalamus, as noted by

Corbetta, & Shulman, (2002). Attention and memory are closely

connected and interdependent systems; attention picks out

information for processing, whereas memory influences attention

based on past occurrences (Awh, Vogel, & Oh, 2006). Information

encoded through attentional focus persists longer, and information

acquired in the past also influences focus of attention (Chun, & Turk-

Browne, 2007). Examining the relationship between memory and

attention at the biophysical level is crucial not only for understanding

basic neuroscientific systems but also for explaining clinical

applications and neurodegenerative disorders (Baddeley, 2012). This

study will investigate the functions of key brain areas, including the

hippocampus, prefrontal cortex, parietal lobe, and anterior cingulate

cortex, in the processes of memory and attention. The examination

will also consider how these functions are associated with

neuroimaging research and clinical data (Chun, Golomb, & Turk-

Browne, 2011). Examples of memory and attention impairments will

be used to illustrate clinical implications in neurological psychiatric disorders.