BLOCKING OUT NOISE

THE WORLD IS FULL OF SENSORY STIMULATION AND SOMETIMES YOUR brain needs to shut some of it out to tackle the task at hand.

- SCOTT DUTFIELD

Whether you're reading a book on a busy train or making a phone call while walking down a bustling street, your brain seems able to zone in and tune out the rest of the world.

Although this ability has no formal title, scientists have attributed its origins to one specific region of the brain: the prefrontal cortex. This complex portion of the brain is responsible for "higher-order" cognitive functions such as decision making and evaluative thinking. However, it doesn't directly receive sensory information from sensory organs.

That responsibility lies with an eggshaped structure in the centre of the called the thalamus.