RII Track-2 FEC: Neural Basis of Attention

这项研究基础设施改进轨道2重点EPSCoR合作（RII轨道2 FEC）提案是新罕布什尔州、蒙大拿州、内华达州和罗德岛州的四所机构之间的合作，即达特茅斯学院、蒙大拿州立大学、内华达大学里诺分校和布朗大学。该项目将加深对注意力的理解，这在多个方面对社会都很重要，包括提高工人生产率、驾驶员安全以及军事和安保人员的警惕性。该项目的最终目标是开发一种统一的注意力模型，适用于从单个细胞到大型大脑回路的多个领域。这个项目将集结全世界？美国最大的科学家联盟致力于建立对注意力的统一理解，包括7名神经生理学家、5名认知神经科学家、1名建模师和1名神经学家。该项目的其他目标是发展持久的合作，促进未来的拨款提案，为神经科学学员建立研究和工业管道，促进初级教师的专业发展，并为传统上处于不利地位的群体提供教育机会，包括美国原住民和社会经济地位较低的学生。技术描述该项目将在微观和宏观尺度上研究注意力的神经基础，使用多种脑成像方法，包括人类和猴子的功能磁共振成像（fMRI）、脑电图（EEG）和心电图（EcoG）。研究将分为四个主题：1)注意对多单元模式和神经放电速率的神经生理效应；2)注意与工作记忆的关系；3)注意的大尺度皮质动力学；4)通过注意的微观和宏观电路模型将数据联系在一起。三名女性初级教师将领导一场针对女性和少数族裔（URM）研究生、博士后和初级教师的年度会议，以促进指导和职业发展。该项目还将扩大到初中和高中，包括开发针对K-12科学教师的大规模开放在线课程（MOOC）。

Non-Technical DescriptionThis Research Infrastructure Improvement Track-2 Focused EPSCoR Collaboration (RII Track-2 FEC) proposal is a collaboration between four institutions in New Hampshire, Montana, Nevada, and Rhode Island, namely Dartmouth College, Montana State University, the University of Nevada Reno, and Brown University. The project will develop a greater understanding of attention, which is important to society in multiple ways, including the promotion of worker productivity, driver safety, and vigilance of military and security personnel. The ultimate goal of the project is to develop a unified model of attention that applies across multiple domains, from single cells to large brain circuits. The project will assemble the world?s largest consortium of scientists focused on creating a unified understanding of attention, including seven neurophysiologists, five cognitive neuroscientists, one modeler, and one neurologist. Other goals of the project are to develop lasting collaborations and promote future grant proposals, build research and industrial pipelines for neuroscience trainees, foster the professional development of junior faculty, and extend educational opportunities to traditionally disadvantaged groups, including Native Americans and low socio-economic status students.Technical DescriptionThe project will investigate the neural basis of attention at micro- and macroscopic scales, using a diverse array of brain imaging methods, including functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), electroencephalography (EEG), and electrocardiography (EcoG), in humans and monkeys. The research will be divided into four themes: 1) Neurophysiological effects of attention on multi-unit patterns and rates of neural firing, 2) The relationship of attention to working memory, 3) Large-scale cortical dynamics of attention, and 4) Tying data together via micro- and macro-circuit models of attention. Three female junior faculty participants will lead a yearly conference for female and under-represented minority (URM) graduate students, post-docs and junior faculty to foster mentoring and career development. The project will also include outreach to middle and high schools, including the development of a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) targeting K-12 science teachers.