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Challenges to attention: a continuous arterial spin labeling (ASL) study of the effects of distraction on sustained attention.

ABSTRACT: Maintaining attention and performance over time is an essential part of many activities, and effortful cognitive control is required to avoid vigilance decrements and interference from distraction. Regions at or near right middle frontal gyrus (Brodmann's area (BA) 9), as well as in other prefrontal and parietal areas, are often activated in studies of sustained attention (e.g., Cabeza and Nyberg, 2000; Kim et al., 2006; Lim et al., 2010). This activation has often been interpreted as representing the engagement of cognitive control processes. However, such studies are typically implemented at one level of task difficulty, without an experimental manipulation of control demands. The present study used the distractor condition sustained attention task (dSAT), which has been used extensively in animals to determine the role of neuromodulator systems in attentional performance, to test the hypotheses that BA 9 is sensitive to changes in the demand for cognitive control and that this sensitivity reflects an increased engagement of attentional effort. Continuous arterial spin labeling (ASL) was used to measure neural activity in sixteen healthy, young adults performing a sustained attention task under standard conditions and under a distraction condition that provided an experimental manipulation of demands on cognitive control. The distractor impaired behavioral performance and increased activation in right middle frontal gyrus. Larger increases in right middle frontal gyrus activity were associated with greater behavioral vulnerability to the distractor. These findings indicate that while right middle frontal gyrus regions are sensitive to demands for attentional effort and control, they may not be sufficient to maintain performance under challenge. In addition, they demonstrate the sensitivity of ASL methods to variations in task demands, and suggest that the dSAT may be a useful tool for translational cross-species and clinical research.

SUBMITTER: Demeter E

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2997179 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Challenges to attention: a continuous arterial spin labeling (ASL) study of the effects of distraction on sustained attention.

Demeter Elise E Hernandez-Garcia Luis L Sarter Martin M Lustig Cindy C

NeuroImage 20100917 2

Maintaining attention and performance over time is an essential part of many activities, and effortful cognitive control is required to avoid vigilance decrements and interference from distraction. Regions at or near right middle frontal gyrus (Brodmann's area (BA) 9), as well as in other prefrontal and parietal areas, are often activated in studies of sustained attention (e.g., Cabeza and Nyberg, 2000; Kim et al., 2006; Lim et al., 2010). This activation has often been interpreted as representi ...[more]

PMID: 20851189

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Project description:BackgroundArterial spin labeling (ASL) perfusion-weighted imaging (PWI) by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been shown to be useful for identifying asphyxiated newborns at risk of developing brain injury, whether or not therapeutic hypothermia was administered. However, this technique has been only rarely used in newborns until now, because of the challenges to obtain sufficient signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and spatial resolution in newborns.ObjectiveTo compare two methods of ASL-PWI (i.e., single inversion-time pulsed arterial spin labeling [single TI PASL], and pseudo-continuous arterial spin labeling [pCASL]) to assess brain perfusion in asphyxiated newborns treated with therapeutic hypothermia and in healthy newborns.Design/methodsWe conducted a prospective cohort study of term asphyxiated newborns meeting the criteria for therapeutic hypothermia; four additional healthy term newborns were also included as controls. Each of the enrolled newborns was scanned at least once during the first month of life. Each MRI scan included conventional anatomical imaging, as well as PASL and pCASL PWI-MRI. Control and labeled images were registered separately to reduce the effect of motion artifacts. For each scan, the axial slice at the level of the basal ganglia was used for comparisons. Each scan was scored for its image quality. Quantification of whole-slice cerebral blood flow (CBF) was done afterwards using previously described formulas.ResultsA total number of 61 concomitant PASL and pCASL scans were obtained in nineteen asphyxiated newborns treated with therapeutic hypothermia and four healthy newborns. After discarding the scans with very poor image quality, 75% (46/61) remained for comparison between the two ASL methods. pCASL images presented a significantly superior image quality score compared to PASL images (p < 0.0001). Strong correlation was found between the CBF measured by PASL and pCASL (r = 0.61, p < 0.0001).ConclusionThis study demonstrates that both ASL methods are feasible to assess brain perfusion in healthy and sick newborns. However, pCASL might be a better choice over PASL in newborns, as pCASL perfusion maps had a superior image quality that allowed a more detailed identification of the different brain structures.

Project description:BACKGROUND:With the disappointing outcomes of clinical trials on patients with Alzheimer's disease or mild cognitive impairment (MCI), there is increasing attention to understanding cognitive decline in normal elderly individuals, with the goal of identifying subjects who are most susceptible to imminent cognitive impairment. PURPOSE/HYPOTHESIS:To evaluate the potential of cerebral blood flow (CBF) as a biomarker by investigating the relationship between CBF at baseline and cognition at follow-up. STUDY TYPE:Prospective longitudinal study with a 4-year time interval. POPULATION:309 healthy subjects aged 20-89 years old. FIELD STRENGTH/SEQUENCE:3T pseudo-continuous-arterial-spin-labeling MRI. ASSESSMENT:CBF at baseline and cognitive assessment at both baseline and follow-up. STATISTICAL TESTS:Linear regression analyses with age, systolic blood pressure, physical activity, and baseline cognition as covariates. RESULTS:Linear regression analyses revealed that whole-brain CBF at baseline was predictive of general fluid cognition at follow-up. This effect was observed in the older group (age ?54 years, ??=?0.221, P?=?0.004), but not in younger or entire sample (??=?0.018, P?=?0.867 and ??=?0.089, P?=?0.098, respectively). Among major brain lobes, frontal CBF had the highest sensitivity in predicting future cognition, with a significant effect observed for fluid cognition (??=?0.244 P?=?0.001), episodic memory (??=?0.294, P?=?0.001), and reasoning (??=?0.186, P?=?0.027). These associations remained significant after accounting for baseline cognition. Voxelwise analysis revealed that medial frontal cortex and anterior cingulate cortex, part of the default mode network (DMN), are among the most important regions in predicting fluid cognition. DATA CONCLUSION:In a healthy aging cohort, CBF can predict general cognitive ability as well as specific domains of cognitive function. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE:1 Technical Efficacy: Stage 3 J. MAGN. RESON. IMAGING 2018;48:449-458.

Dataset Information

Challenges to attention: a continuous arterial spin labeling (ASL) study of the effects of distraction on sustained attention.

Publications

Challenges to attention: a continuous arterial spin labeling (ASL) study of the effects of distraction on sustained attention.

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