Highlights • Examined associations between intolerance of uncertainty (IU) and attentional networks. • Attentional networks include alerting, orienting, and executive attention. • Among the ...attentional networks, IU only shared an association with alerting. • That association remained intact after accounting for state anxiety. • Among two IU dimensions, alerting appeared most relevant to prospective IU.
Animals exhibit a behavioral response to novel sensory stimuli about which they have no prior knowledge. We have examined the neural and behavioral correlates of novelty and familiarity in the ...olfactory system of Drosophila. Novel odors elicit strong activity in output neurons (MBONs) of the α′3 compartment of the mushroom body that is rapidly suppressed upon repeated exposure to the same odor. This transition in neural activity upon familiarization requires odor-evoked activity in the dopaminergic neuron innervating this compartment. Moreover, exposure of a fly to novel odors evokes an alerting response that can also be elicited by optogenetic activation of α′3 MBONs. Silencing these MBONs eliminates the alerting behavior. These data suggest that the α′3 compartment plays a causal role in the behavioral response to novel and familiar stimuli as a consequence of dopamine-mediated plasticity at the Kenyon cell-MBONα′3 synapse.
Display omitted
•α′3 MBONs respond to novel odors but suppress their activity to familiar odors•MBON suppression requires odor-evoked excitation of the α′3 dopaminergic neuron•Flies elicit alerting behavior to novel odors that disappears upon familiarization•The alerting response to novel odors requires the activity of α′3 MBONs
The Drosophila mushroom body, a brain region that functions in classical learning, also helps flies identify novel stimuli and become accustomed to them.
The human attentional system can be subdivided into three functional networks of alerting, orienting, and executive control. Although these networks have been extensively studied in the visuospatial ...modality, whether the same mechanisms are deployed across different sensory modalities remains unclear. In this study we used the attention network test for the visuospatial modality, in addition to two auditory variants with spatial and frequency manipulations to examine cross-modal correlations between network functions. Results showed that among the visual and auditory tasks, the effects of executive control, but not effects of alerting and orienting, were significantly correlated. These findings suggest that while alerting and orienting functions rely more upon modality-specific processes, the executive control of attention coordinates complex behavior via supramodal mechanisms.
Atypical attentional networks and the emergence of autism KEEHN, Brandon; MÜLLER, Ralph-Axel; TOWNSEND, Jeanne
Neuroscience & biobehavioral reviews/Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews,
02/2013, Letnik:
37, Številka:
2
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
The sociocommunicative impairments that define autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are not present at birth but emerge gradually over the first two years of life. In typical development, basic attentional ...processes may provide a critical foundation for sociocommunicative abilities. Therefore early attentional dysfunction in ASD may result in atypical development of social communication. Prior research has demonstrated that persons with ASD exhibit early and lifelong impairments in attention. The primary aim of this paper is to provide a review of the extant research on attention in ASD using a framework of functionally independent attentional networks as conceptualized by Posner and colleagues: the alerting, orienting and executive control networks (Posner and Petersen, 1990; Petersen and Posner, 2012). The neural substrates and typical development of each attentional network are briefly discussed, a review of the ASD attention literature is presented, and a hypothesis is proposed that links aberrant attentional mechanisms, specifically impaired disengagement of attention, with the emergence of core ASD symptoms.
The main purpose of this study was to explore the association between the regular practice of open-skill sports (i.e., soccer) and executive control, along with other attentional functions (i.e., ...alerting and orienting) during preadolescence. The study was conducted on 131 participants (70 non-athletes and 61 soccer players). To measure cognitive performance, participants performed the Attentional Network Test—Interactions (ANT-I) task. Compared to non-athletes, soccer players showed overall faster responses and better executive control (e.g., reduced interference from distractors). Overall, our results provide new empirical evidence supporting the positive association between regular sports practice and cognitive performance, and more specifically executive functions. However, is important to note that the relationship between regular sport practice and cognition is complex and multifactorial. Our findings can be partly explained by the “cardiovascular fitness hypothesis” and the “cognitive component skills approach,” suggesting that an externally paced sport environment with high physical fitness and perceptual–cognitive demands may be an appropriate setting to optimize the development of cognitive functioning during early adolescence.
Attention can be conceptualized as comprising the functions of alerting, orienting, and executive control. Although the independence of these functions has been demonstrated, the neural mechanisms ...underlying their interactions remain unclear. Using the revised attention network test and functional magnetic resonance imaging, we examined cortical and subcortical activity related to these attentional functions and their interactions. Results showed that areas in the extended frontoparietal network (FPN), including dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, frontal eye fields (FEF), areas near and along the intraparietal sulcus, anterior cingulate and anterior insular cortices, basal ganglia, and thalamus were activated across multiple attentional functions. Specifically, the alerting function was associated with activation in the locus coeruleus (LC) in addition to regions in the FPN. The orienting functions were associated with activation in the superior colliculus (SC) and the FEF. The executive control function was mainly associated with activation of the FPN and cerebellum. The interaction effect of alerting by executive control was also associated with activation of the FPN, while the interaction effect of orienting validity by executive control was mainly associated with the activation in the pulvinar. The current findings demonstrate that cortical and specific subcortical areas play a pivotal role in the implementation of attentional functions and underlie their dynamic interactions.
•We examined cortical and subcortical activity related to the interactive attentional functions.•Results showed activation of the frontoparietal network and subcortical regions.•The attentional functions and their dynamic interactions are implemented by these structures.
Temporal attention is a cognitive mechanism that allows individuals to prepare to respond to an anticipated event. Lawrence, M. A., & Klein, R. M. (2013. Isolating exogenous and endogenous modes of ...temporal attention. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 142(2), 560-572. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0029023) distinguished two forms of temporal attention: one elicited by purely endogenous alerting mechanisms and one elicited through exogenous alerting mechanisms. Recently, McCormick, C. R., Redden, R. S., Lawrence, M. A., & Klein, R. M. (2018. The independence of endogenous and exogenous temporal attention. Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics, 80(8), 1885-1891. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13414-018-1575-y) found that these mechanisms generate additive effects on reaction time, however more informative speed and accuracy comparisons were not possible due to the effects being measured in a simple detection task. The current pair of experiments aims to compare two forms of temporal attention in a discrimination task while measuring both speed and accuracy by inducing methodological modifications that lower task demands. These manipulations were successful, as temporal cueing effects were observed for both the combined form and the less-studied purely endogenous form. However, speed-accuracy performance for these two forms of temporal attention did not align with our predictions based on prior work.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
BFBNIB, DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Previous studies have demonstrated short-wavelength sensitivity for the acute alerting response to nocturnal light exposure. We assessed daytime spectral sensitivity in alertness, performance, and ...waking electroencephalogram (EEG).
Between-subjects (n = 8 per group).
Inpatient intensive physiologic monitoring unit.
Sixteen healthy young adults (mean age ± standard deviation = 23.8 ± 2.7 y).
Equal photon density exposure (2.8 × 10(13) photons/cm(2)/s) to monochromatic 460 nm (blue) or 555 nm (green) light for 6.5 h centered in the middle of the 16-h episode of wakefulness during the biological day. Results were compared retrospectively to 16 individuals who were administered the same light exposure during the night.
Daytime and nighttime 460-nm light exposure significantly improved auditory reaction time (P < 0.01 and P < 0.05, respectively) and reduced attentional lapses (P < 0.05), and improved EEG correlates of alertness compared to 555-nm exposure. Whereas subjective sleepiness ratings did not differ between the two spectral conditions during the daytime (P > 0.05), 460-nm light exposure at night significantly reduced subjective sleepiness compared to 555-nm light exposure at night (P < 0.05). Moreover, nighttime 460-nm exposure improved alertness to near-daytime levels.
The alerting effects of short-wavelength 460-nm light are mediated by counteracting both the circadian drive for sleepiness and homeostatic sleep pressure at night, but only via reducing the effects of homeostatic sleep pressure during the day.
Hybrid-electric and electric vehicles significantly reduce noise road emissions. This noise mitigation also causes a reduction in the sound detectability and therefore it increases the potential of ...causing accidents. A suitable solution arises with the Acoustic Vehicle Alerting Systems (AVAS) emitting a warning sound to alert pedestrians about the presence of a silent vehicle. This paper details an acoustic prediction model capable of simulating the sound produced by a pair of spur dry gears used as a Mechanical Acoustic Vehicle Alerting System (MAVAS). This proposal that tries to reproduce a sound closer to the mechanical sound of a conventional vehicle would be used as an alternative to existing systems. The prediction model developed is validated and consists in two consecutive parts: first, a dynamic model studies the rattle of the gears, then, an analytical model reproduces the sound of each impact of the gear teeth. This sound model makes it possible to characterize a proposed gear combination of the MAVAS, verifying its compliance with the European legislation.
Temporal attention is the focusing of perceptual resources at a particular point in time. Valid temporal cue information has the capability to improve performance by reducing reaction times, while ...invalid information has the possibility of impairing performance. The performance difference between valid and invalid conditions is called a temporal cueing effect (TCE). We explored how different alerting mechanisms interact with a participant’s ability to utilize temporal information cues, using the Kingstone (
The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 44
(1), 69–104,
1992
) temporal cueing paradigm. Extracting the alerting procedure from Lawrence and Klein (
Journal of Experimental Psychology: General
,
142
(2), 560–572,
2013
), one of two different temporally contingent warning signals were presented to participants during a trial. The “hi-intensity” warning signal increases intensity and elicits both exogenous and endogenous alerting mechanisms. The “no-intensity” warning signal is isointense relative to baseline and elicits only endogenous alerting mechanisms. Two experiments conducted previously using a discrimination task showed interference between the signal intensity and task difficulty, where the “no-intensity” signal failed to elicit TCEs. In the present study, we implemented a detection task, reducing the mental effort required for a response. The results showed equal TCEs in both signal conditions. We argue for independence of these alerting mechanisms, by way of Sternberg’s (
Acta Psychologica, 30,
276–315,
1969
) additive factor method. Arguments contrasting what mechanism is being impacted by this paradigm are further outlined.
PDF
