The Development of Sustained Attention in Infants

描述（由申请人提供）：目的是研究幼儿持续注意力的发展，并将持续注意力的发展与心率（HR）变化和脑活动（EEG、ERP）的同时发生联系起来。具体目标是：1）研究14 ~ 26周婴幼儿持续的、受试者控制的注意，以及注意对复杂/动态周边刺激眼动的影响：2）用高密度EEG和ERP研究婴幼儿计划性眼动和再认记忆的皮层基础，研究注意对婴儿扫视计划和再认记忆的影响; 3）使用婴儿解剖MRI开发皮质源分析的现实模型，以准确识别控制持续注意力对眼球运动，注意力和识别记忆的影响的大脑区域。本研究探讨了正常儿童的注意力模式，将这些注意力与该年龄段早期（14至26周）的眼动时间和特征联系起来。实验2采用空间线索法考察了婴儿有计划的眼动，实验3考察了注意与再认记忆之间的关系。这两项研究将使用“高密度”脑电图记录来推断注意力导向眼球运动控制的皮层来源。在这两个实验中，将开发使用婴儿大脑和头部的真实模型的皮层源分析模型，以检查ERP的皮层源。预计1）持续注意力的年龄变化将与眼动的发育变化相互作用，影响注意力定向眼动; 2）有计划的眼动和识别记忆将显示与大脑活动变化相关的发育变化; 3）使用高强度的神经元来推断皮层活动的新兴技术。密度EEG记录应该揭示参与婴儿计划性扫视和识别记忆控制的皮层来源。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The objectives are to study the development of sustained attention in young infants and to relate development in sustained attention to concurrent heart rate (HR) changes and brain activity (EEG, ERP). The specific aims are: 1) To study sustained, subject-controlled attention in infants from 14 to 26 weeks of age, and to study the effect of attention on eye movements to complex / dynamic peripheral stimuli; 2) To study the cortical basis of planned eye movements and recognition memory in young infants with high- density EEG and ERP, and to study the effect of attention on infant saccade planning and infant, recognition memory; 3) To develop realistic models of cortical source analysis using infant anatomical MRI, to accurately identify brain areas that control the effect of sustained attention on eye movements, attention, and recognition memory. This research examines the patterns of attention found in normal children, relates those attentiontics on the timing and characteristics of eye movements in the early part of this age range (14 to 26 weeks). Experiment 2 examines infant planned eye movements using a spatial cueing procedure and Experiment 3 examines the relation between attention and recognition memory. These two studies will use "high-density" EEG recording to infer cortical sources of attention-directed eye movement control. Models of cortical source analysis using realistic models of infants' brain and head will be developed to examine the cortical sources of ERP in these two experiments. It is predicted that 1) age changes in sustained attention will interact with development changes in eye movements to affect attention-directed eye movements; 2) planned eye movements and recognition memory will show developmental changes that are related to changes in brain activity; 3) emerging technologies for inferring cortical activity using high-density EEG recording should reveal the cortical sources involved in the control of infant planned saccades and recognition memory.