Deficits in attention are a central mechanism through which performance in higher cognitive domains such as memory may be affected in sleep deprivation (SD). This chapter reviews how different facets of attention and information processing are compromised in sleep-deprived persons. It discusses the link between behavioral alterations and concurrently observed shifts in task-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) signal as well as how imaging can reveal alterations in processing not evident in overt behavior. Complimenting attention's enhancement effects is its ability to suppress irrelevant distractors. This ability is impaired by SD. The perceptual load theory of attention provides a useful framework for evaluating SD-induced change in visual information processing. Reduced engagement of frontoparietal regions that mediate top-down control of attention has been demonstrated in experiments evaluating visual short-term memory (VSTM), preparatory attention, and selective attention.