SC1:Functional Investigation of Neural Elements Located in a Key Brainstem Circuit that Controls Attention

 描述(申请人提供)：该项目的目标是确定位于关键脑干区域的以前未被研究的神经元元件和电路的功能，这些神经元元件和电路控制和调节前注意过程。包括精神分裂症和强迫症在内的许多神经疾病的前注意过程都受到损害，这些疾病影响着全球1-3%的人口和美国约400万人。因此，更好地了解注意前过程的神经元基础将对国内和国际上的健康问题产生强大的影响。目前，还没有治疗注意力加工障碍的方法，注意力加工是一种控制各种行为结果的认知任务。事实上，无法长时间集中注意力的人在学校学习、工作和参加社会活动都会举步维艰。尽管有很多科学上的努力，但即使是在健康的受试者中，预注意过程背后的神经回路和机制仍然没有明确的定义。我们将使用动物模型和最先进的神经元记录技术来更好地了解脑干电路和控制前注意加工的机制。这样的神经通路和机制可以作为药物开发和治疗伴随前注意缺陷障碍的策略的靶点。

 DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The goal of this project is to identify the function of previously uninvestigated neuronal elements and circuits located in key brain stem regions that control and regulate pre-attentive processes. Pre-attentive processes are impaired in many neurological disorders including schizophrenia and obsessive compulsive disorder which affect 1-3% of the worldwide population and about 4 million people in the United States. Therefore, better understanding the neuronal basis of pre-attentive processes will have a powerful impact on health concerns both nationally and internationally. At the present time, there is no treatment for dysfunction in attention processing, a cognitive task that governs a variety of behavioral outcomes. In fact, individuals unable to focus attention for prolonged periods of time will struggl to learn in school, to maintain a job and to participate in social activities. Despite much scientiic efforts, the neural circuits and mechanisms underlying pre-attentive processes are still ill defined, even in healthy subjects. We will use an animal model and state-of-the-art neuronal recording techniques to better understand brain stem circuits and mechanisms controlling pre-attentive processing. Such neuronal pathways and mechanisms could be targeted for drug development and therapeutic strategies for disorders accompanied with pre-attentive deficits.