Sensory Gating Mediated by Attention

描述（由申请人提供）：这项儿童感觉门控研究计划的长期目标是建立一个多变量模型，该模型将有助于阐明哪些因素有助于测量儿童稳定的感觉门控，并测试该模型以确定它是否对儿童和成人具有相似的功能。该模型指出，感觉门控的测量可能因个体而异，因为结果代表刺激呈现协议（例如刺激强度、试验次数和任务指令）与参与者的若干特质和状态变量（包括但不限于前额叶皮层和执行功能的成熟）的相互作用（注意力）、α/烟碱乙酰胆碱受体基因（基因异常）和脑电图（EEC）测试的应激水平（去甲肾上腺素能紧张）。该项目将有助于理解注意力在感觉门控模型中的作用。该项目的三个具体目标是：1）确定注意力的操纵是否会对成人和儿童的感觉门控产生不同的影响; 2）证明注意力的发展性质与儿童感觉门控水平的变化相一致; 3）确定儿童和成人感觉门控的分半和重测信度。研究设计需要在两次访问中评估40名年轻人和40名6至12岁的儿童。将使用3种不同的感觉门控事件相关电位（ERP）范式收集EEC数据，这些范式可控制注意力的焦点。一个版本将使用两次，每次访视一次，以获得重测信度测量。为了研究儿童注意力的成熟及其与感觉门控表现变化的关系，将获得几种注意力的行为测量。该项目对健康的影响是更好地了解在儿童中观察到的感觉门控措施的变化。这些知识将导致更可靠和客观的测量大脑的能力和无法门的感觉信息，这将允许有效的早期识别神经发育障碍，如精神分裂症和自闭症。改进的感觉门控措施可能会导致生产力和成本效益的研究评估治疗效果。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The long-term goals of this program of research on sensory gating in children is based on building a multivariate model that will help elucidate which factors contribute to measuring stable sensory gating in children and testing the model to determine if it functions similarly for children and adults. The model states that measures of sensory gating may vary from individual to individual because the outcome represents an interaction of stimulus presentation protocols, such as stimulus intensity, number of trials, and task instructions, with several trait and state variables of the participant including but not limited to maturation of prefrontal cortex and executive function (attention), alpha/ nicotinic acetylcholine receptor gene (gene abnormalities), and stress level at electroencephalography (EEC) testing (noradrenergic tone). The proposed project will contribute to understanding the role of attention in this model of sensory gating. The three specific aims of the project are: 1) To determine if the manipulation of attention will differentially effect sensory gating in adults and children; 2) To demonstrate that the developmental nature of attention coincides with changes in levels of sensory gating in children; and 3) To determine the split-half and test-retest reliability measures of sensory gating in children and adults. The research design entails assessing 40 young adults and 40 children, ages 6 to 12 years, during two visits. EEC data will be collected using 3 variations of the Sensory Gating event-related potential (ERP) paradigm which manipulate the focus of attention. One version will be used twice, once on each visit, in order to obtain test-retest reliability measures. To investigate maturation of attention in children and its relationship to changes in sensory gating performance, several behavioral measures of attention will be obtained. The health related impact of the project is a better understanding of the variability in sensory gating measures observed in children. Such knowledge will lead to more reliable and objective measures of the brain's ability and inability to gate sensory information which will allow valid early identification of neurodevelopmental disorders such as in schizophrenia and autism. Improved measures of sensory gating may lead to productive and cost efficient studies assessing treatment effectiveness.