Attention: social and affective processing

注意力是一种关键的认知功能，它允许我们动态地选择和增强对 我们环境中每时每刻最相关或最优先的刺激。导演 对刺激的关注会导致更低的知觉阈值、更快的反应时间(RTS)和更高的反应时间 辨别准确率。在之前的赠款期间，该项目使用了功能磁共振 磁共振成像(FMRI)和头皮记录事件相关电位(ERPs)研究脑电活动的神经机制 请注意。这些研究包括注意力对感官加工的调节作用。 完成这种调节、执行和注意的自上而下的控制机制 与刺激冲突相关的加工，以及通道间注意加工。 另一个关键的认知功能是我们快速而正确地感知与之相关的刺激和线索的能力， 对成功的社交来说也很重要。在之前的工作中，我们也研究了大脑 社会认知的各个方面的潜在机制。这包括专注于确定 由特定脑区辅助的功能，包括梭形回(FFG)和上回的作用 面孔和眼睛凝视加工中的颞沟(STS)区。 在目前建议的项目中，我们的目标是全面整合这两条调查路线，并调查 视觉空间注意控制系统与视觉空间注意控制系统之间的神经和认知相互作用 涉及社会知觉的那些，特别是那些与面孔、面孔情绪和 眼睛凝视。我们将从自上而下的角度研究这些相互作用(即，影响和 关注这些社会相关刺激的处理的重要性)和自下而上的观点 (即，这些因素如何吸引、吸引和/或以其他方式影响我们的注意力)。我们将同时使用两种功能磁共振成像 和头皮记录的事件相关电位来研究这些相互作用，以便不仅描绘大脑区域 参与这些相互作用，还包括它们激活的时间和顺序，从而增强我们的 对潜在机制的理解。 各种神经系统疾病，如注意力缺陷障碍、阿尔茨海默氏症和自闭症，都有 对注意力和社会感知能力的不利影响。卒中后创伤性脑损伤 还可能导致注意力、社会知觉和情感处理方面的戏剧性障碍。这个 拟议的研究将提供重要的信息，可用于更好地理解这些神经学 并开发有效的治疗方法。

Attention is a critical cognitive function that allows us to dynamically select and enhance the processing of the stimuli in our environment that are the most relevant or highest priority at each moment. Directing attention to a stimulus leads to lower perceptual thresholds, faster reaction times (RTs), and increased discrimination accuracy. In the previous grant period, this project used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and scalp-recorded event-related potentials (ERPs) to investigate the neural mechanisms of attention. These included studies of the modulatory effects of attention on processing in the sensory pathways, the top-down control mechanisms that accomplish that modulation, executive and attentional processes related to stimulus conflict, and intermodal attentional processes. Another critical cognitive function is our ability to rapidly and correctly perceive stimuli and cues related to, and important for, successful social interactions. In previous work, we have also investigated the brain mechanisms underlying various aspects of social perception. This has included work focused on identifying the functions subserved by specific brain regions, including the role of the fusiform gyrus (FFG) and superior temporal sulcus (STS) regions in the processing of faces and eye gaze. In the currently proposed project, we aim to fully integrate these two lines of inquiry and investigate the neural and cognitive interactions between the systems involved in the control of visual spatial attention and those involved in social perception, particularly those related to the processing of faces, face emotion, and eye gaze. We will study these interactions both from a top-down standpoint (i.e., the influence and importance of attention on the processing of these socially relevant stimuli) and from a bottom-up standpoint (i.e., how these factors can attract, capture, and/or otherwise influence our attention). We will use both fMRI and scalp-recorded ERPs to investigate these interactions in order to delineate not only the brain areas involved in these interactions, but also the timing and sequence of their activations, thereby enhancing our understanding of the underlying mechanisms. A variety of neurological disorders, such as attention-deficit disorder, Alzheimer's disease, and autism, have adverse effects on both attentional and social perception capabilities. Traumatic brain injury following stroke can also result in dramatic impairments in attention, social perception, and affective processing. The proposed studies will provide important information that can be used to better understand these neurological disorders and develop effective treatments.