Aging and Perceptual Learning: Behavioral and fMRI Studies

描述(由申请人提供)：建议的研究是对NOT-OD-10-032(“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”)的回应。文献中的一个有充分证据的发现是，视觉知觉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、形状和形状的感知。与年龄相关的视觉处理能力下降被认为是老年人跌倒的主要原因，也是老年司机发生事故的风险增加的原因。拟议的修订将包括研究，将审查两个不同的新领域的调查没有在父母拨款。第一项研究将检验知觉学习的正式模型(Lu和Dosher提出的知觉模板模型，1999；2008)中的预测。这项实验将使用漂移或移动的Gabor斑块来确定，年龄较大的受试者的PL是否会导致内部噪声的变化，对外部噪声的敏感度的变化，或者乘性噪声的变化。第二项研究将第一个实验的结果扩展到使用随机点电影图像的运动刺激。第三项研究将检验老年受试者感觉加工的PL变化是否是中心-周围抑制变化的结果。这个问题将通过进行一项实验来检验，该实验使用了以前在老年观察者中被用来证明中心-周围抑制减少的刺激，并确定这种与年龄相关的效应是否随着PL的变化而改变。公共卫生相关性：这项拟议的研究将研究如何使用视觉显示培训来改善老年人的视觉感知。这些研究将包括行为研究，以确定知觉如何改善，以及这种改善与大脑活动的变化如何相关。 公共卫生相关性：这项拟议的研究将研究如何使用视觉显示培训来改善老年人的视觉感知。这些研究将包括行为研究，以确定知觉如何改善，以及这种改善与大脑活动的变化如何相关。

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.