Multi-region dynamics during internal attentional switching

How does the brain switch rapidly from one stimulus to another - such as from a conversation to the text on the screen - without any overt movement? While multiple brain regions, including structures in the sensory cortex, prefrontal cortex, and basal ganglia, are known to support attention, the mechanisms that support rapid, internal switches across large multi-region networks remain poorly understood.

This project aims to elucidate the neural states and their dynamics that underlie such changes, focusing on the moment-to-moment transitions across trials. We will test two competing hypotheses: 1) a centralized control model, in which a region such as a prefrontal cortex directs and initiates attention switches, and 2) a distributed coordination model, where attention switches emerge from dynamic interactions between spatially distributed subpopulations across cortex, basal ganglia, and thalamus. A mutual inhibition network motif may underlie the organization of these subnetworks. 

With high-density recording, we can now track neuronal population activity at single neuron resolution across multiple brain regions simultaneously. The cellular and single action potential resolution allows us to identify the dimensions - factors - in neural population activity that track attention states. And the coverage across multiple brain regions allows us to compare the timing and structure of the neural signals across regions.