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

小心台阶！

• 批准号: RGPIN-2016-05052
• 负责人: Nagamatsu, Lindsay
• 金额: $ 2.04万
• 依托单位: University of Western Ontario
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2022-01-01 至 2023-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=757939
• 关键词: Watch; your; step; Uncovering; neurocognitive

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.

众所周知，对环境中物体位置的注意(即视觉空间注意)对于指导运动行为是重要的。例如，当我们与正在交谈的人保持眼神交流时，我们使用视觉空间注意力来引导我们的手拿起咖啡杯。我之前的研究已经将这种关系扩展到行走或移动领域。具体地说，我通过研究特定人群的注意力发现，视觉空间注意力对于在我们的环境中安全行走至关重要，这些人群表现出行动不便的老年人有跌倒史。我目前的研究计划旨在揭示对行动能力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。这将通过一系列实验室实验来实现，在这些实验中，我将与研究生一起，使用先进的神经成像技术(脑电；磁共振成像，MRI)来加深我们对对行动能力至关重要的大脑过程的理解。具体地说，我们将研究移动性是否与“注意力缩小”(目标1)、半球之间大脑结构的潜在差异(目标2)、两个任务之间的性能切换(称为“任务切换”)(目标3)以及在解剖上不同的大脑区域网络内和之间的功能连接(目标3)有关。重要的是，我的研究计划将：1)通过促进我们目前对人类注意力和移动性之间关系的理解，从而对人类大脑结构和功能的基本方面的洞察，为认知神经科学领域做出贡献；2)提供机会，培训新一代认知神经科学家的关键技能，帮助他们在研究和行业中脱颖而出；以及3)巩固加拿大作为认知神经科学研究和神经成像技术的领先贡献者的地位，使我们处于新的科学发现的前沿，这些发现将为未来的政策和实践提供参考。