The attention networks of the human brain have been under intensive study for more than twenty years and deficits of attention accompany many neurological and psychiatric conditions. There is more dispute about the centrality of attention deficits to these conditions. It appears to be time to study whether reducing deficits of attention alleviate the neurological or psychiatric disorder as a whole. In this paper we review human and animal research indicating the possibility of improving the function of brain networks underlying attention and their potential clinical role.