FIBR Planning: Cortical Organization and Limits of Human Potential

这个项目的重点是复杂技能的习得如何与皮层组织相互作用和影响。借用进化生物学的概念框架，适应性和非适应性技能都被考虑在内。研究和大众媒体都认为，当获得复杂技能时，有时会有积极的相互作用，比如音乐技能和数学技能之间的相互作用，有时会有消极的相互作用，比如计算机技能和社会情感技能之间的相互作用。这个项目将使用人类和老鼠作为实验对象，并将研究在发育和成年的不同时期获得技能的情况。分析包括行为和神经解剖学的测量。皮质组织将被检查使用神经成像和ERP技术在人类和神经解剖学技术在动物。对人类的研究包括实验室研究、实地研究和跨文化研究。计划过程包括三次会议，以发展概念，确定任务和方法，两次旅行以促进跨文化研究，以及从人类和老鼠身上收集试点数据的初步实验。该提案的智力价值在于要回答的问题的新颖性和重要性以及跨学科的方法。在完整个体中，多种技能习得对皮质组织的影响尚不清楚。虽然许多研究已经证明了一种技能的习得对皮层组织的影响，但很少有研究考虑到多种技能之间可能的相互作用。所提出的研究数据将提供关于皮层组织在面对环境要求时的基本过程的信息，以及在行为层面上技能习得的相互作用。PI和co-PI汇集了他们在神经科学和认知科学方面的专业知识，提出了一个跨学科的方法来解决这个问题。规划活动涉及其他在发育、神经成像、统计建模和进化生物学方面具有专门知识的人员。规划活动将有助于发展上述概述的初步概念，直至可以拟订一份完整的提案。这个项目的更广泛的影响在几个层面上。考虑到西方社会在越来越年轻的年龄获得非适应性技能的压力越来越大，了解这种压力对其他技能（包括适应性和非适应性）的影响是必不可少的。该项目的结果将对这个社会的教育系统产生基本的影响。此外，计划活动还包括招募生物学以外的研究人员参与其中，其中一些人将来自五所传统的黑人大学，这些大学距离南卡罗来纳州的研究所60英里。博士后和研究生的参与对整个提案的成功至关重要，他们也参与了规划过程。重要的是，规划过程和实际提出的研究将涉及许多不同学科的个人合作，包括生物学、心理学、教育学和统计学，并将需要所有相关个人在各个领域进行培训。

This project focuses on how the acquisition of complex skills interacts with and influences cortical organization. Borrowing a conceptual framework from evolutionary biology, both adaptive and nonadaptive skills are being considered. It has been suggested by research and in the popular press that there is sometimes a positive interaction, such as between musical and mathematical skills, and sometimes a negative interaction, such as between computer and socioemotional skills, when complex skills are acquired. This project will use both humans and rats as subjects and would examine acquisition of the skills during various times during development and in adulthood. Analyses include both behavioral and neuroanatomical measures. Cortical organization will be examined using neuroimaging and ERP technology in humans and neuroanatomical techniques in animals. Studies in humans include laboratory, field and cross-cultural studies. The planning process includes three meetings to develop concepts and define tasks and approaches, two trips to facilitate the cross-cultural studies, and initial experiments to gather pilot data from both humans and rats. The intellectual merit of the proposal resides within the novelty and importance of the question to be answered and the interdisciplinary approach. The impact of acquisition of multiple skills on cortical organization in intact individuals is not well understood. While many studies have demonstrated effects of the acquisition of one skill on cortical organization, few, if any, have considered the possible interactions of multiple skills. The data from the proposed studies will provide information about the basic processes of cortical organization in the face of environmental demands and also about the interactions of skill acquisition on a behavioral level. The PI and co-PI bring their expertise in neuroscience and cognitive science together to propose an interdisciplinary approach to the question. The planning activities involve others with expertise in development, neuroimaging, statistical modeling, and evolutionary biology. The planning activities will be instrumental in developing the initial concepts outlined above to the point where a full proposal can be developed. The broader impacts of this project are at several levels. Given that there is increasing pressure to acquire non-adaptive skills at younger and younger ages in Western society, understanding the effects of this pressure on other skills, both adaptive and non-adaptive, is essential. The outcome of the project will have basic implications for the education system in this society. In addition, the planning activities include recruitment of researchers outside of biology to participate and some of these individuals will be from the five traditionally black colleges within a 60 mile radius of the home institute in South Carolina. The involvement of both postdoctoral and graduate students will be crucial to the success of the full proposal and they are involved in the planning process as well. Importantly, the planning process and the actual studies proposed will involve collaboration of individuals across a number of different disciplines, including biology, psychology, education, and statistics and will require training in the various fields of all involved individuals.