Watch your step! Uncovering the neurocognitive basis for the relationship between human attention and mobility

众所周知，对我们环境中物体位置的注意力（即，视觉空间注意力）对于指导运动行为是重要的。例如，我们使用视觉空间注意力来指导我们的手拿起咖啡杯，同时与我们正在交谈的人保持目光接触。我以前的研究已经将这种关系扩展到步行或移动领域。具体来说，我已经发现，视觉空间的注意力是安全地走过我们的环境，通过检查在一个特定的人群的注意力表现出行动不便的老年人与福尔斯的历史。我目前的研究计划旨在揭示对移动性至关重要的特定注意力过程，并阐明支持这种关系的潜在大脑功能和结构。这将通过一系列的实验室实验来实现，沿着的是研究生，我将使用先进的神经成像技术（脑电图，EEG;磁共振成像，MRI）来进一步了解对移动性至关重要的大脑过程。具体来说，我们将研究是否与移动性“注意力的缩小”（目标1），大脑结构之间的潜在差异半球（目标2），两个任务之间的性能切换，称为“任务切换”（目标3），和功能连接内部和解剖学上不同的大脑区域网络（目标3）之间。重要的是，我的研究计划将：1）通过推进我们目前对人类注意力和移动性之间关系的理解，为认知神经科学领域做出贡献，从而深入了解人类大脑结构和功能的基本方面，2）提供培训新一代认知神经科学家的关键技能的机会，这将有助于他们在研究和工业中脱颖而出，3）巩固加拿大作为认知神经科学研究和神经成像技术的主要贡献者，使我们处于新科学发现的最前沿，这将为未来的政策和实践提供信息。

It is well known that attention for the location of objects in our environment (i.e., visual-spatial attention) is important for guiding motor behaviour. For example, we use visual-spatial attention to guide our hands to pick up our coffee mug while we maintain eye contact with a person we are engaged in conversation with. My previous research has extended this relationship to the walking, or mobility, domain. Specifically, I have found that visual-spatial attention is critical for safely walking through our environment by examining attention in a specific population manifesting impaired mobility older adults with a history of falls. My current research program aims to uncover the specific attentional processes that are essential for mobility, and to elucidate the underlying brain functions and structures that support this relationship. This will be achieved through a series of laboratory experiments where, along with graduate students, I will use advance neuroimaging techniques (electroencephalograms, EEG; magnetic resonance imaging, MRI) to further our understanding of the brain processes that are critical for mobility. Specifically, we will examine whether mobility is associated with a “narrowing of attention” (Objective 1), underlying differences in brain structure between hemispheres (Objective 2), performance switching between two tasks, known as “task-switching” (Objective 3), and functional connectivity within and between networks of anatomically distinct brain regions (Objective 3). Importantly, my research program will: 1) contribute to the field of cognitive neuroscience by advancing our current understanding of the relationship between human attention and mobility, thus providing insight into fundamental aspects of human brain structure and function, 2) provide an opportunity to train a new generation of cognitive neuroscientists in key skills that will help them excel in research and industry, and 3) solidify Canada as a leading contributor to cognitive neuroscience research and neuroimaging techniques, placing us at the forefront of new scientific discoveries that will inform future policies and practices.**