Bottlenecks in the brain: A causal role for the frontal-parietal network in multitasking limitations (2011-2013)

Humans show marked performance costs when completing two tasks simultaneously, even when these are simple and do not overlap in sensory or output modality - a significant limitation given the multitasking demands of everyday life. Multitasking costs are thought to reflect the capacity limits of attention, and are assumed to have a frontal-parietal neural basis, but this hypothesis is based almost exclusively on correlational data. Here, we aim to provide causal evidence on the neural locus of multitasking effects at various levels of information processing. The results will have fundamental implications for theories of human performance, and for the understanding of attentional disorders induced by neurological disease and mental illness.