Attention: social and affective processing

Duke University, Durham NC

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

Attention is a critical cognitive function that allows us to dynamically select and enhance the processing of[unreadable] the stimuli in our environment that are the most relevant or highest priority at each moment. Directing[unreadable] attention to a stimulus leads to lower perceptual thresholds, faster reaction times (RTs), and increased[unreadable] discrimination accuracy. In the previous grant period, this project used functional magnetic resonance[unreadable] imaging (fMRI) and scalp-recorded event-related potentials (ERPs) to investigate the neural mechanisms of[unreadable] attention. These included studies of the modulatory effects of attention on processing in the sensory[unreadable] pathways, the top-down control mechanisms that accomplish that modulation, executive and attentional[unreadable] processes related to stimulus conflict, and intermodal attentional processes.[unreadable] Another critical cognitive function is our ability to rapidly and correctly perceive stimuli and cues related to,[unreadable] and important for, successful social interactions. In previous work, we have also investigated the brain[unreadable] mechanisms underlying various aspects of social perception. This has included work focused on identifying[unreadable] the functions subserved by specific brain regions, including the role of the fusiform gyrus (FFG) and superior[unreadable] temporal sulcus (STS) regions in the processing of faces and eye gaze.[unreadable] In the currently proposed project, we aim to fully integrate these two lines of inquiry and investigate the[unreadable] neural and cognitive interactions between the systems involved in the control of visual spatial attention and[unreadable] those involved in social perception, particularly those related to the processing of faces, face emotion, and[unreadable] eye gaze. We will study these interactions both from a top-down standpoint (i.e., the influence and[unreadable] importance of attention on the processing of these socially relevant stimuli) and from a bottom-up standpoint[unreadable] (i.e., how these factors can attract, capture, and/or otherwise influence our attention). We will use both fMRI[unreadable] and scalp-recorded ERPs to investigate these interactions in order to delineate not only the brain areas[unreadable] involved in these interactions, but also the timing and sequence of their activations, thereby enhancing our[unreadable] understanding of the underlying mechanisms.[unreadable] A variety of neurological disorders, such as attention-deficit disorder, Alzheimer's disease, and autism, have[unreadable] adverse effects on both attentional and social perception capabilities. Traumatic brain injury following stroke[unreadable] can also result in dramatic impairments in attention, social perception, and affective processing. The[unreadable] proposed studies will provide important information that can be used to better understand these neurological[unreadable] disorders and develop effective treatments.