Salience Network

« Back to Glossary Index

xSalience Network (SN): The salience network is a brain network that helps determine what’s most important in a given moment — whether coming from the outside world (a sound, a face, a threat) or from within the body (interoceptive signals such as a racing heart, pain, or a shift in emotional tone). The SN continuously scans for what stands out and flags it for attention, shaping attention, perception, and response in real time. It plays a central role in prioritization and switching: once something is identified as important, the SN helps shift the brain into the appropriate state — either inward (self-referential thinking, memory, reflection) or outward (focused attention, action, problem-solving).

In anxiety and related conditions, this system can become overly sensitive or biased, assigning too much importance (salience) to internal sensations or perceived threats. This can amplify distress and reinforce cycles of vigilance, worry, or avoidance. When the salience network is not functioning smoothly, it can also affect how a person reads social cues or stays oriented to the external world. Difficulties with prioritizing and switching attention have been observed across a range of conditions — including ADHD, autism, psychosis, and dementia — and may also occur after traumatic brain injury (TBI), where the ability to shift between mental states can be disrupted. Also see Default Mode Network