Interaction of Visual and Oculomotor Signals in Cortex

描述（由申请人提供）：近年来，来自心理物理学、神经影像学和神经生理学研究的证据已经积累，表明基本的视觉感知和认知功能，例如注意力和工作记忆，来自于眼信号和皮层中视觉表征的相互作用。我们以前的工作表明，涉及额眼场（FEF）的眼跳相关信号有助于视觉刺激的注意选择和大脑皮层对视觉信号的注意相关过滤。在目前的建议中，我们计划进一步研究的影响，扫视相关的信号对视觉表征在一组三个免费的目标。在第一个目标中，我们将解决我们以前的研究的一个重要意义，即FEF神经元的活动是必要的和足够的驱动空间注意。我们将测试FEF神经元的作用，并将其直接与LIP区神经元进行比较，后者也被认为对注意力至关重要。这将通过两个区域之一（FEF或LIP）中的神经元的刺激诱导的激活和失活以及其对注意表现和另一个区域（LIP或FEF）中神经元的注意调节的影响的研究来实现。在第二个目标中，我们将使用自愿产生的眼跳来探讨眼跳目标选择与视觉皮层中注意神经相关物之间的关系。具体来说，我们将研究眼跳准备对V4区自下而上和基于特征的注意的神经相关的影响。在第三个目标中，我们将研究的功能在工作记忆中的视觉信息的选择和保留的作用。具体来说，我们将测试的影响FEF微刺激视觉工作记忆及其相关的下颞叶（IT）皮层，以及记录同时从两个地区的神经元在工作记忆性能。总之，这三个目标将使我们能够确定扫视相关信号影响皮层中视觉表征的选择和保留的程度，以及这些影响与视知觉认知和视觉引导行为的相关性。 所提出的研究所解决的问题是核心的视觉引导行为的神经基础的理解，从而实现这些目标将有直接和重要的影响的神经基础和视觉整合，知觉和认知障碍的治疗。这类疾病的主要例子包括注意力缺陷多动障碍（ADHD）和阅读障碍，这两种疾病似乎都包括视力控制缺陷。这项拟议中的研究与多动症特别相关，多动症困扰着美国超过5%的儿童，使其成为影响儿童的最常见的精神障碍之一。因此，理解视觉注意力的神经基础显然对人类健康具有重要意义。 公共卫生相关性：所提出的研究的目标是中央的视觉引导行为的神经基础的理解，从而实现这些目标将有直接和重要的影响的神经基础和视觉整合，知觉和认知障碍的治疗。这类疾病的主要例子包括注意力缺陷多动障碍（ADHD）和阅读障碍，这两种疾病似乎都包括视力控制缺陷。这项拟议中的研究与多动症特别相关，多动症困扰着美国超过5%的儿童，使其成为影响儿童的最常见的精神障碍之一。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): In recent years, evidence from psychophysical, neuroimaging and neurophysiological studies has accumulated suggesting that basic visual perceptual and cognitive functions such as attention and working memory emerge from the reciprocal interaction of oculomotor signals and visual representations in cortex. Our previous work suggests that saccade-related signals involving the frontal eye field (FEF) contribute to the attentional selection of visual stimuli and to the attention-related filtering of visual signals in cortex. In the present proposal, we plan to further examine the influence of saccade-related signals on visual representations in a set of three complimentary aims. In the first aim, we will address an important implication of our previous studies, namely that the activity of FEF neurons is necessary and sufficient for driving spatial attention. We will test the role of FEF neurons and compare it directly to that of area LIP neurons, which are also believed to be critical for attention. This will be accomplished via pharmacologically induced activation and inactivation of neurons in one of the two areas (FEF or LIP) and a study of its effects on attentional performance and the attentional modulation of neurons in the other area (LIP or FEF). In the second aim, we will use voluntarily generated saccades to pursue the relationship between saccade target selection and neural correlates of attention in visual cortex. Specifically, we will study the influence of saccade preparation on neural correlates of bottom-up and feature-based attention in area V4. In the third aim, we will examine the role of the FEF in the selection and retention of visual information in working memory. Specifically, we will test the effects of FEF microstimulation on visual working memory and its correlates in inferior temporal (IT) cortex as well as record simultaneously from neurons in both areas during working memory performance. Together, these three aims will allow us to determine the extent to which saccade-related signals influence the selection and retention of visual representations in cortex and the relevance of those influences to visual perception cognition, and visually guided behavior. The questions addressed by the proposed research are central to an understanding of the neural basis of visually guided behavior, and thus achieving those goals will have direct and important implications for the neural bases and the treatment of disorders of visuomotor integration, perception and cognition. Key examples of such disorders include attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and dyslexia, both of which appear to include deficits in oculomotor control. The proposed research is particularly relevant to ADHD, which afflicts more than five percent of children in the U.S., making it one of the most common mental disorders to affect children. Thus an understanding of the neural basis of visual attention clearly has important implications for human health. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The goals of the proposed research are central to an understanding of the neural basis of visually guided behavior, and thus achieving those goals will have direct and important implications for the neural bases and the treatment of disorders of visuomotor integration, perception and cognition. Key examples of such disorders include attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and dyslexia, both of which appear to include deficits in oculomotor control. The proposed research is particularly relevant to ADHD, which afflicts more than five percent of children in the U.S., making it one of the most common mental disorders to affect children.