Attentional Control during Visual Modified Flanker Stimuli using fMRI Data.

BACKGROUND: Selective attention is the ability to concentrate on specific sensory inputs while ignoring other stimuli and sensory inputs, and it is related to job performance, especially in military personnel. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate selective attention in military personnel rather than normal individuals. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 40 individuals were divided into two groups: military personnel and normal individuals. Participants were shown a modified flanker task in a military environment, and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to assess brain activation and functional connectivity through an attention task. RESULTS: Military personnel demonstrated quicker response times than civilians in both high- and low-threat environments, particularly in incongruent trials. In high-threat scenarios, the left Medial Frontal Gyrus (MFG) showed increased voxel counts, while the right MFG was more active in low-threat trials. Additionally, military personnel exhibited stronger functional connectivity in attention regions compared to civilians. CONCLUSION: Functional connectivity analysis reveals that military personnel show increased connectivity in attention regions during high-threat situations, indicating adaptive neural strategies for managing danger. The study also finds that congruent stimuli demand less neural coordination than incongruent ones, resulting in the understanding improvement of threat perception and attentional processes in military contexts, with significant implications for training and performance.