Dopaminergic mechanisms of visual selective attention in the fly

我们所注意的东西指导我们的行为。越来越多的证据表明，即使是最小的动物，如昆虫，也有选择性的注意力。神经调节剂如多巴胺（DA）调节苍蝇和人类的一般唤醒状态，但人们还不清楚DA如何调节选择性注意。该项目将通过基因操作果蝇中的DA，以研究其在视觉选择性注意中的作用：检查神经回路;注意行为;和大脑记录。我们的工作将揭示DA是否主要控制一般反应水平，或者DA是否也参与协调注意力动态。这项研究对理解注意力障碍有重要意义。

What we pay attention to guides our behaviour. There is increasing evidence that even the smallest animals, such as insects, have a selective attention. Neuromodulators such as dopamine (DA) regulate general arousal states in flies as well as humans, but it is not well understood how DA modulates selective attention. This project will genetically manipulate DA in the fly Drosophila in order to study its role in visual selective attention, by: examining neural circuits; attention behaviour; and, brain recordings. Our work will reveal whether DA mainly controls general responsiveness levels, or whether DA is also involved in coordinating attention dynamics. This study has important implications for understanding attention disorders.