A cognitive neuroscientific model of impulsivity and anxiety

Objective

The proposed study offers a new direction in the investigation of impulsivity and anxiety in relation to a sophisticated neuropsychological model of hemisphere independence and interaction. Previous studies on anxiety and impulsivity have not explored all of the following important aspects of the model at the same time: 1) studying both impulsivity and anxiety simultaneously, 2) combining behavioral, physiological, and anatomical methods, 3) collecting data from both normal and clinical populations, and 4) considering individual (especially sex) differences. This neuropsychological model is theoretically important because it can serve as a paradigm case for distinguishing cognitive deficits that follow neurological death (apoptosis) in cell assemblies from loss of connectivity between such cell assemblies. The specific hypotheses are: 1. Impulsive behavior is correlated with increased physiological activation in the LH, 2) Anxious behavior is correlated with increased physiological activation in the RH, 3. Self error correction is positively correlated with measures of interhemispheric transfer. 4. Trait-anxiety and -impulsivity are positively correlated with measures of callosal transfer, whereas state-anxiety and -impulsivity is negatively correlated with measures of callosal transfer. The first stage involves establishing abnormal hemispheric relation in anxiety and impulsivity using behavioral laterality experiments. The second stage, involves recording the electrophysiological correlates of the behavioral experiments using EEG and ERP. The third stage involves measuring the anatomical correlates of the behavioral test using MRI, and DTI. The work plan serves to train me to become a knowledgeable, independent and skillful cognitive neuroscientist. The skills that I will acquire are bound to contribute to my academic career, and will help to initiate a long standing collaboration between UCLA and Bar-Ilan University, and eventually between UCLA and EU.

Keywords

• Anxiety
• Cerebral asymmetry
• Corpus Callosum
• DTI
• EEG
• Hemispheric specialization
• Impulsivity
• Individual differences
• Interhemispheric interactions

Programme(s)

• FP7-PEOPLE - Specific programme "People" implementing the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Community for research, technological development and demonstration activities (2007 to 2013)

Topic(s)

• FP7-PEOPLE-IOF-2008 - Marie Curie Action: "International Outgoing Fellowships for Career Development"

Call for proposal

FP7-PEOPLE-IOF-2008
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Funding Scheme

Coordinator