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



 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.