Objective
Sustained attention or the ability to maintain an alert, goal-directed focus is critical for many levels of human behavior. Failures of sustained attention occur when there is a transient decrease in endogenous control of behavior leaving one prone to goal-neglect and distraction by irrelevant stimuli. Frequent lapses in sustained attention are a core feature of performance in the elderly, sleep-deprived individuals, and patients with brain injury and mental disorders with attentional components, such as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and schizophrenia. Even healthy individuals differ substantially in their ability to sustain attention. Recent studies have linked deficits in sustaining attention to less stable (i.e. more noisy) cortical signals in particular in frontal brain areas. Although recent research has shed light on the neural mechanisms underlying lapses of attention, less is known about how an individual’s ability to sustain attention might be improved. This knowledge is clearly imperative for the development of interventions that can address sustained attention deficits in patients or for individuals who are prone to attentional lapses due to e.g. disturbed sleeping patterns. The aim of this research project is to study the neural and neurochemical mechanisms underlying the ability to maintain an alert, goal-directed focus, and the effects of an alertness training strategy on this ability. We propose to conduct three studies that will test our main hypothesis that increased volitional control of arousal during sustained attention task performance will enhance cortical signal stability, and thereby attentional stability. The third study will examine the effects of the noradrenergic agonist clonidine on the hypothesized interaction between arousal and attention. The proposed research will use a unique multidisciplinary combination of techniques from psychophysiology, neuroscience (EEG and fMRI), psychology, and pharmacology.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences biological sciences neurobiology
- social sciences psychology
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine psychiatry schizophrenia
- medical and health sciences basic medicine pharmacology and pharmacy
You need to log in or register to use this function
We are sorry... an unexpected error occurred during execution.
You need to be authenticated. Your session might have expired.
Thank you for your feedback. You will soon receive an email to confirm the submission. If you have selected to be notified about the reporting status, you will also be contacted when the reporting status will change.
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
FP7-PEOPLE-2009-RG
See other projects for this call
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Coordinator
1012WX Amsterdam
Netherlands
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.