Adult Age-differences in Auditory Selective Attention: The Interplay of Norepinephrine and Rhythmic Neural Activity

选择性注意力是指专注于可用外部的子集的能力（即，感觉的）和/或内部信息（例如，思想、情感、记忆）。因此，它是日常生活中成功的目标导向行为的重要组成部分。例如，参与与多个附近说话者的对话，例如，在聚会期间或在餐馆中，需要关注当前相关的交互伙伴，同时忽略干扰的语音。然而，随着年龄的增长，选择性注意力的缺陷变得普遍，并可能影响日常的社会交往。在神经生理学水平上，注意力的调节与去甲肾上腺素能系统以及α频率范围（~ 10 Hz）内的节律性神经活动的功能有关。虽然已经积累了关于它们单独的功能重要性的证据，但对它们的相互作用知之甚少。至关重要的是，去甲肾上腺素能系统和节律性神经α活动都显示出随着年龄的增长而发生的变化。因此，建立在最近的经验观察和理论进展，我们提出了一个多模式的评估，即中央去甲肾上腺素能系统的结构和功能的完整性（通过神经黑素敏感的磁共振成像（MRI）和瞳孔测量法，分别）以及功能完整性的节律性神经活动（通过脑电图[EEG]）在α频率范围。最终，我们将整合多层次的分析，通过揭示去甲肾上腺素能系统和节律性神经活动之间的相互作用，促进对年龄相关的选择性注意力下降的机械理解。

Selective attention refers to the ability to focus on a subset of the available external (i.e., sensory) and / or internal information (e.g., thoughts, emotions, memories). Therefore, it is a crucial component of successful goal-directed behavior in daily live. For example, participating in a conversation with multiple nearby speakers, e.g., during a party or in a restaurant, requires focusing on the currently relevant interaction partner while simultaneously ignoring interfering voices. However, with advancing age deficits in selective attention become prevalent and can impair daily social interactions. On a neurophysiological level, modulation of attention is linked to the functionality of both the noradrenergic system as well as rhythmic neural activity in the alpha-frequency range (~ 10 Hz). While evidence has accumulated about their functional significance in isolation, much less is known about their interplay. Crucially, both the noradrenergic system and rhythmic neural alpha-activity reveal alterations with advancing age. Hence, building on recent empirical observations and theoretical advancements, we propose a multimodal assessment of both, namely the structural and functional integrity of the central noradrenergic system (via neuromelanin-sensitive magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and pupillometry, respectively) as well as the functional integrity of rhythmic neural activity (via electroencephalography [EEG]) in the alpha frequency range. Ultimately, we will integrate multiple levels of analysis to foster a mechanistic understanding of age-related declines in selective attention by revealing the interplay between the noradrenergic system and rhythmic neural activity.