Neural Mechanisms in Learned Multitasking Improvements

这个项目的总体目标是了解大脑是如何通过学习提高多任务处理能力的。多任务处理是一种复杂的认知过程，在日常生活中很普遍，从走路时发短信到开车时看路牌。众所周知，在多任务处理过程中，与独立执行任务相比，两项任务都与性能下降有关。幸运的是，通过练习和学习，多任务处理的成本可能会降低。然而，大脑是如何让我们提高多任务处理能力的，仍然是一个谜。这个项目通过研究训练是否可以提高多任务处理能力，以及大脑反应的变化来调查这些问题。它还将使用影响大脑活动的干预措施，这些干预措施本身可能会改善多任务处理。当前项目的重要性在于推进这一领域有限的科学知识，并使与社会更广泛相关的多种活动和成果成为可能。除了科学工作之外，该项目还将为高中生和大学生提供一些志愿者机会。对于所有这些职位，我们将大力鼓励女性、残疾人和STEM教育中的少数群体申请。其次，这项研究产生的知识将通过开源出版物、公开讲座和媒体渠道传播给公众。这些发现将增强我们对多任务处理能力的理解，并开发针对患有这种认知衰退或学习障碍的人群的治疗方法。该项目的总体目标是解决前额皮质区域依赖θ波段（4-7 Hz）振荡来增强和优化多任务处理能力的假设。为了实现这一目标，当参与者进行多任务处理时，将经颅交流电刺激（tACS）应用于前额叶皮层上方的θ波段：视觉辨别和并发的视觉运动跟踪任务。在参与者进行多任务处理时，将连续三天应用经颅刺激。参与者将在tACS后的一天和一个月进行评估，以评估前额皮质上方的θ波刺激是否有助于多任务处理的习得性改善。此外，脑电图（EEG）数据将用于评估支持习得多任务处理改进的振荡活动的变化。假设影响θ波振荡的tACS刺激在提高多任务处理能力方面特别有效，可能影响额叶θ波脑电图振荡功率。为了评估这些习得的多任务处理的改善是否来自前额叶皮层的改变，将从每个参与者那里收集磁共振成像（MRI）数据，并用于形成大脑中tacs诱导电场的个性化模型。据推测，由于解剖学上的差异阻碍了tACS电流流向大脑，在内侧前额皮质中具有更大模拟电场的参与者将表现出最大的前额波振荡增加和最大的多任务处理能力改善。这项提议的研究将提供一个直接的机制评估，通过大脑网络提高多任务处理能力。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The overall aim of this project is to understand how the brain enables learned improvements in multitasking ability. Multitasking is a complex cognitive process that is prevalent in everyday life, from texting while walking to driving while reading a street sign. It is well established that during multitasking, both tasks are associated with performance declines, as compared to when the tasks are independently performed. Fortunately, through practice and learning, multitasking costs may be reduced. Yet, how the brain enables us to enhance multitasking performance remains elusive. This project investigates these questions by studying whether training can improve multitasking performance, as well as the changes in brain responses that accompany such improvement. It will also use interventions that impact brain activity and that may themselves produce multitasking improvement. The importance of the current project is in advancing the limited scientific knowledge in this domain, and in enabling multiple activities and outcomes that will be relevant to society more broadly. Apart from the scientific work, this project will offer several volunteer opportunities for high school and college students. For all these positions, women, persons with disabilities and minorities in STEM education will be highly encouraged to apply. Second, the knowledge generated by this research will be disseminated to the public through open-source publications, public lectures, and media outlets. These findings will enhance our understanding of multitasking ability, and developing therapeutics to target populations who suffer from this cognitive decline or learning disorders. The overall aim of this project is to address the hypothesis that regions within prefrontal cortex rely on theta band (4-7 Hz) oscillations to enhance and optimize multitasking ability. To achieve this, transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) will be applied in the theta band above prefrontal cortex while participants are engaged in multitasking: visual discrimination with a concurrent visuomotor tracking task. Transcranial stimulation will be applied on three consecutive days while participants are engaged in multitasking. Participants will be assessed one day and one month after tACS to assess whether theta stimulation above the prefrontal cortex facilitates learned improvements in multitasking. Additionally, electroencephalography (EEG) data will be used to assess changes in oscillatory activity that supports learned multitasking improvements. It is hypothesized that tACS stimulations that impact theta oscillations will be particularly effective in improving multitasking performance, potentially impacting frontal theta EEG oscillatory power. To evaluate whether these learned multitasking improvements arise from alterations within the prefrontal cortex, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data will be collected from each participant and used to form individualized models of the tACS-induced electric fields in the brain. It is hypothesized that due to anatomical differences that impede tACS current flow to the brain, participants with greater modeled electric fields in the medial prefrontal cortex will exhibit the greatest increases in prefrontal theta oscillations and the largest improvements in multitasking ability. The proposed research will provide a direct assessment of mechanisms by which brain networks give rise to learned improvements in multitasking ability.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.