Noradrenergic mechanisms in attention and response inhibition

注意力和反应抑制中的去甲肾上腺素能机制

• 批准号: G0700980/1
• 负责人: Emma Robinson
• 金额: $ 32.43万
• 依托单位: University of Bristol
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2008
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2008 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=G0700980%2F1
• 关键词: Noradrenergic; mechanisms; attention; response; inhibition

Neuroscience research is one of the priority areas identified by the Government and leading health organisations. Recognition of the clinical need for new advances in therapeutic approaches to these diseases is particularly highlighted by statistics revealing an increase in the prevalence of psychiatric and neurodegenerative diseases. The focus of this research project is to investigate the biology of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a prevalent and debilitating condition in children and adults. ADHD is responsible for significant social and economic costs to society and, although treatments are available, very little is known or understood about how or why they work. To address some of these issues, we can turn to animal models to enable us to dissect the specific brain mechanism that mediate the symptoms and treatment of this disorder. Animals provide a powerful method to study basic brain function and the methods we will use provide an excellent parallel with studies that are carried out in people. Using our animal models we will measure behaviours such as impulsivity, when an action is made that is not properly considered and has negative consequences, and inattention. The experiments will test how current treatments for ADHD act within the brain and isolate which brain areas and chemical processes are involved. The results that we obtained will help us to design future experiments to further refine our understanding of how the brain functions to control behaviour. Importantly, because our models relate closely to psychology test used in humans, we will be able to directly relate our results to the clinical situation. My research is closely linked with human disease and overall this project will identify new ways to alter brain function and improve the treatment of psychiatric conditions such as ADHD.

神经科学研究是政府和主要卫生组织确定的优先领域之一。统计数据显示，精神病和神经退行性疾病的发病率有所增加，这特别突出了对这些疾病治疗方法新进展的临床需求的认识。该研究项目的重点是调查注意缺陷多动障碍（ADHD）的生物学，ADHD是儿童和成人中普遍存在的一种使人衰弱的疾病。ADHD对社会造成重大的社会和经济成本，尽管有治疗方法，但人们对它们如何或为什么起作用知之甚少。为了解决其中的一些问题，我们可以转向动物模型，使我们能够剖析介导这种疾病症状和治疗的特定大脑机制。动物提供了一种强有力的方法来研究基本的大脑功能，我们将使用的方法提供了一个很好的平行研究，是在人身上进行的。使用我们的动物模型，我们将测量行为，如冲动，当一个行动是没有得到适当的考虑，并有负面的后果，和注意力不集中。这些实验将测试目前ADHD的治疗方法如何在大脑中起作用，并分离出哪些大脑区域和化学过程参与其中。我们获得的结果将有助于我们设计未来的实验，以进一步完善我们对大脑如何控制行为的理解。重要的是，由于我们的模型与人类使用的心理学测试密切相关，我们将能够将我们的结果与临床情况直接联系起来。我的研究与人类疾病密切相关，总的来说，这个项目将确定改变大脑功能的新方法，并改善ADHD等精神疾病的治疗。