The cognitive neuroscience of auditory distraction.

We are often aware of the content of distracting sound, although typically remain unaware of the processes by which that sound is disruptive. Disruption can occur even when the sound is ignored and unrelated to the task being performed. In a recent major development, Gisselgård et al. have used positron emission tomography to reveal how distracting sounds recruit the involvement of dorsolateral prefrontal cortex.