03/12/2026
🧠What happens in the brain when you have to ignore distractions?
Imagine sitting in a classroom trying to focus on your teacher while other students are whispering, papers are shuffling, and chairs are scraping across the floor. Your brain has to constantly filter out irrelevant information and focus on what matters.
For most of us, this happens automatically.
But for people living with cystinosis—a rare genetic disorder best known for its effects on the kidneys—the brain may need to work harder to accomplish this everyday task.
In our new study, we asked a simple question:
How does the brain monitor and resolve conflict when distractions compete for attention? Using high-density EEG, we recorded brain activity while participants performed a classic “flanker task”—a test where distracting arrows surround a target arrow and participants must respond to the direction of the center one while ignoring the others.
What we found was fascinating.
People with cystinosis could monitor conflict just as effectively as their peers. But their brains appeared to work more effortfully to do it.
• They responded **more slowly**
• They made **more errors overall**
• Their brains showed **larger neural signals associated with conflict detection and decision-making** (the N2 and P3 responses)
In other words, the system works—but it requires extra cognitive effort.
These findings help explain why some individuals with cystinosis experience challenges in school or other complex environments where filtering distractions is essential. Understanding the neural mechanisms behind these difficulties is the first step toward developing **better supports and targeted interventions**.
Most importantly, we are deeply grateful to the individuals with cystinosis and their families who traveled across the country to participate in this research. Their commitment is helping us understand the brain in rare diseases—and how we can better support those living with them.
Sophie Molholm Dept of Brain & Cognitive Sciences, University of Rochester Cystinosis Foundation
Cystinosis, a rare lysosomal storage disease, is characterized by cystine crystallization and accumulation within tissues and organs, including the kidneys a...
