FMRI studies of visual attention

描述（由申请人提供）：目前的研究将利用最近开发的高分辨率功能性MRI技术来观察猴子和人类执行相同的内隐注意任务的群体水平反应。最初，具有视野地形图的额叶和顶叶区域将使用更复杂的认知任务来识别，例如延迟扫视和工作记忆任务。感兴趣的功能区域将被定义为从地形区域，以调查他们的视觉空间注意的作用。两个物种都将执行一项内隐注意力任务，以确定每个物种参与注意力过程的大脑区域网络。数据分析技术将包括感兴趣的功能区域分析沿着以及基于全脑标准化的更传统的聚类水平分析。地形区域之间的关系和那些在空间定向注意招募将进行调查。被确定为注意力网络的一部分的区域将在不同物种之间进行比较，使用来自先前研究和当前地形和注意力研究的收敛证据，以确定类似的区域。这些研究将为未来使用单细胞生理学或损伤方法在动物中进行的侵入性研究提供有关靶位点的信息。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The current research will take advantage of recently developed high-resolution functional MRI techniques to observe population-level responses in monkeys and humans performing the same covert attention task. Initially, frontal and parietal areas that have topographic maps of the visual field will be identified using more complex cognitive tasks, such as a delayed saccade and a working memory task. Functional regions of interest will be defined from topographic areas in order to investigate their role in visual spatial attention. Both species will perform a covert attention task to identify the network of brain regions involved in attentional processes for each species. Data analysis techniques will include a functional region of interest analysis along with more traditional cluster-level analysis based on whole-brain normalization. The relationship between topographic areas and those recruited during spatially directed attention will be investigated. Areas identified as part of the attentional network will be compared across species, using converging evidence from prior research and the current topographic and attentional studies in order to identify analogous regions. These studies will provide information about target sites for future invasive studies in animals using single-cell physiology or lesion methods.