Aging and Perceptual Learning: Behavioral and fMRI Studies

描述（由申请人提供）：拟议的研究是对 NOT-OD-10-032 的回应（“NIH 宣布通过 NIH 基础、行为和社会科学机会网络 (OppNet) 为竞争性修订申请提供恢复法案资金。文献中的一项有据可查的发现是，视觉感知随着年龄的增长而下降。这些下降包括对目标方向、低对比度刺激、运动、形状和形式的感知。与年龄相关的视觉处理下降被认为是拟议的修订将包括研究父母资助中未涉及的两个不同的新调查领域（Lu 和 Dosher 提出的感知模板模型，1999 年；2008 年）。该实验将使用漂移或移动的 Gabor 斑块来确定老年受试者的 PL 是否会导致内部噪音的变化，以及对内部噪音的敏感性的变化。第二项研究将使用随机点电影图将第一个实验的结果扩展到运动刺激。第三项研究将检查老年受试者感觉处理的 PL 变化是否是中心-环绕抑制变化的结果。该问题将通过使用先前用于证明老年观察者中中心-环绕抑制减少的刺激进行实验，并确定这种与年龄相关的效应是否随 PL 变化而变化。健康相关性：拟议的研究将探讨如何利用视觉显示训练来改善老年人的视觉感知。这些研究将包括行为研究，以确定感知如何改善以及这种改善与大脑活动的变化有何关系。 公共健康相关性：拟议的研究将研究如何使用视觉显示训练来改善老年人的视觉感知。这些研究将包括行为研究，以确定感知如何改善以及这种改善如何与大脑活动的变化相关。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The proposed research is in response to NOT-OD-10-032 ("NIH announces the availability of recovery act funds for competitive revision applications through the NIH Basic and Behavioral and Social Science Opportunity Network (OppNet). A well documented finding in the literature is that visual perception declines with age. These declines include the perception of target orientation, low contrast stimuli, motion, shape and form. Age related declines in visual processing have been implicated as a leading cause of falls among the elderly as well as the increased risk of accidents for older drivers. The proposed revision will include research that will examine two distinct and new areas of inquiry not addressed in the parent grant. The first study will test predictions from a formal model of perceptual learning (the perceptual template model proposed by Lu and Dosher, 1999; 2008). The experiment will determine, using drifting or moving Gabor patches, whether PL among older subjects results in changes in internal noise, changes in sensitivity to external noise, or changes in multiplicative noise. A second study will extend the results of the first experiment to motion stimuli using random dot cinematograms. The third study will examine whether PL changes in sensory processing for older subjects are the result of changes in center-surround inhibition. This issue will be examined by conducting an experiment using stimuli that has been previously used to demonstrate reduced center-surround inhibition among older observers, and determining whether this age-related effect changes as a function of PL. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The proposed research will examine how training with visual displays can be used to improve visual perception for older individuals. The studies will include behavioral research to determine how perception improves and how the improvement is related to changes in brain activity. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The proposed research will examine how training with visual displays can be used to improve visual perception for older individuals. The studies will include behavioral research to determine how perception improves and how the improvement is related to changes in brain activity.