Visual Spatial Attention and Excitability of Visual Cortex

视觉空间注意力和视觉皮层的兴奋性

• 批准号: RGPIN-2016-05811
• 负责人: Mickleborough, Marla
• 金额: $ 1.82万
• 依托单位: University of Saskatchewan
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2018
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2018-01-01 至 2019-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=659758
• 关键词: Visual; Spatial; Attention; Excitability; Cortex

Screentime. Your visual system is constantly bombarded with visual inputs, from smartphones, computer screens, and televisions. Advertisements are specifically designed to grab your attention moment-to-moment. Even as you watch the news on television a newsfeed scrolls across the bottom of the screen, constantly updating you with even more news. While you surf the internet bright flashing ads pop up in the visual periphery, trying to draw you in. Given all these visual stimuli constantly vying for your attention, how does your brain decide when to attend, when to ignore, and when to allow attention to wander off completely? My research strives to understand these issues and to understand the neurobiological mechanisms of attention, from a cognitive neuroscience approach. This large scale, long-term program of research will include three research themes to be investigated over the next five years. Under my supervision, each research theme will be led by a graduate student in collaboration with other graduate and undergraduate students. *******All research themes will focus on the neural mechanisms underlying attention by studying people with migraine headache. This test group is of interest because migraineurs are known to have hyperexcitable visual cortex in between headache attacks, and we are interested in understanding how this cortical hyperexcitability influences attentional processing and what this might tell us about the neurobiology of attention. *******In the first research theme, which will encompass years 1-5, we will assess the impact of hyperexcitable visual cortex on activation of the attentional network. We will use neuroimaging techniques – functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and event-related potentials (ERP) - to assess attention to repeated stimuli using paradigms to study sensory habituation, cognitive habituation, and repetition suppression. In the second research theme, which will encompass years 3-5, we will assess how visual cortical hyperexcitability influences mind wandering and activity in the default network. We will use fMRI and ERP to assess activation during the rest between active tasks and mind wandering during an active task. In the third research theme, which will begin in year 5, we will assess how visual cortical hyperexcitability impacts the relationship between reading and attention. Using fMRI, we will combine visual orienting and reading to study the interaction between reading and attention.*******My program of research is designed to provide elite training in neuroimaging techniques (fMRI and ERP) for undergraduate and graduate students in a collaborative setting. The overall goal of the research is to understand how cortical hyperexcitability might alter attentional processing and use this information to develop a comprehensive neurobiological model of attention.**

放映时间。 您的视觉系统不断受到来自智能手机、电脑屏幕和电视的视觉输入的轰炸。 广告是专门为时刻吸引您的注意力而设计的。 即使您在电视上观看新闻，新闻源也会在屏幕底部滚动，不断为您更新更多新闻。 当你上网冲浪时，明亮的闪烁广告会在视觉周边弹出，试图吸引你。考虑到所有这些视觉刺激不断争夺你的注意力，你的大脑如何决定何时关注、何时忽略以及何时让注意力完全分散？ 我的研究致力于从认知神经科学的角度理解这些问题并理解注意力的神经生物学机制。 这项大规模的长期研究计划将包括未来五年内研究的三个研究主题。 在我的监督下，每个研究主题都将由一名研究生与其他研究生和本科生合作领导。 *****所有研究主题都将通过研究偏头痛患者来关注注意力背后的神经机制。 这个测试组很有趣，因为众所周知，偏头痛患者在头痛发作期间视觉皮层过度兴奋，我们有兴趣了解这种皮质过度兴奋如何影响注意力处理，以及这可能告诉我们有关注意力的神经生物学的信息。 ****** 在第一个研究主题中，将涵盖 1-5 年，我们将评估过度兴奋的视觉皮层对注意力网络激活的影响。 我们将使用神经影像技术——功能磁共振成像（fMRI）和事件相关电位（ERP）——使用研究感觉习惯、认知习惯和重复抑制的范式来评估对重复刺激的注意力。在第二个研究主题（涵盖 3-5 年）中，我们将评估视觉皮层过度兴奋如何影响默认网络中的思维游移和活动。 我们将使用 fMRI 和 ERP 来评估活动任务之间休息期间的激活以及活动任务期间的走神。在将于第五年开始的第三个研究主题中，我们将评估视觉皮层过度兴奋如何影响阅读和注意力之间的关系。 使用功能磁共振成像，我们将结合视觉定向和阅读来研究阅读和注意力之间的相互作用。********我的研究计划旨在在协作环境中为本科生和研究生提供神经影像技术（功能磁共振成像和ERP）的精英培训。 该研究的总体目标是了解皮质过度兴奋如何改变注意力处理，并利用这些信息开发全面的注意力神经生物学模型。 **