Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Research Byte: More support for the importance of P-FIT model In attentional control

PT J
AU Hilti, CC
  Jann, K
  Heinemann, D
  Federspiel, A
  Dierks, T
  Seifritz, E
  Cattapan-Ludewig, K
AF Hilti, Caroline C.
  Jann, Kay
  Heinemann, Doerthe
  Federspiel, Andrea
  Dierks, Thomas
  Seifritz, Erich
  Cattapan-Ludewig, Katja
TI Evidence for a cognitive control network for goal-directed attention in
  simple sustained attention
SO BRAIN AND COGNITION
AB The deterioration of performance over time is characteristic for
  sustained attention tasks. This so-called "performance decrement" is
  measured by the increase of reaction time (RT) over time. Some
  behavioural and neurobiological mechanisms of this phenomenon are not
  yet fully understood. Behaviourally, we examined the increase of RT over
  time and the inter-individual differences of this performance decrement.
  On the neurophysiological level, we investigated the task-relevant brain
  areas where neural activity was modulated by RT and searched for brain
  areas involved in good performance (i.e. participants with no or
  moderate performance decrement) as compared to poor performance (i.e.
  participants with a steep performance decrement). For this purpose, 20
  healthy, young subjects performed a carefully designed task for simple
  sustained attention, namely a low-demanding version of the Rapid Visual
  Information Processing task We employed a rapid event-related functional
  magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) design. The behavioural results showed
  a significant increase of RT over time in the whole group, and also
  revealed that some participants were not as prone to the performance
  decrement as others. The latter was statistically significant comparing
  good versus poor performers. Moreover, high BOLD-responses were linked
  to longer RTs in a task-relevant bilateral
  fronto-cingulate-insular-parietal network. Among these regions, good
  performance was associated with significantly higher RI-BOLD
  correlations in the pre-supplementary motor area (pre-SMA). We concluded
  that the task-relevant bilateral fronto-cingulate-insular-parietal
  network was a cognitive control network responsible for goal-directed
  attention. The pre-SMA in particular might be associated with the
  performance decrement insofar that good performers could sustain
  activity in this brain region in order to monitor performance declines
  and adjust behavioural output. (C) 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights
  reserved.
PD MAR
PY 2013
VL 81
IS 2
BP 193
EP 202
ER


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