A neuromarker of sustained attention from whole-brain functional connectivity

Nat Neurosci. 2016 Jan;19(1):165-71. doi: 10.1038/nn.4179. Epub 2015 Nov 23.

Abstract

Although attention plays a ubiquitous role in perception and cognition, researchers lack a simple way to measure a person's overall attentional abilities. Because behavioral measures are diverse and difficult to standardize, we pursued a neuromarker of an important aspect of attention, sustained attention, using functional magnetic resonance imaging. To this end, we identified functional brain networks whose strength during a sustained attention task predicted individual differences in performance. Models based on these networks generalized to previously unseen individuals, even predicting performance from resting-state connectivity alone. Furthermore, these same models predicted a clinical measure of attention--symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder--from resting-state connectivity in an independent sample of children and adolescents. These results demonstrate that whole-brain functional network strength provides a broadly applicable neuromarker of sustained attention.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Attention / physiology*
  • Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / diagnosis*
  • Biomarkers
  • Brain / physiology*
  • Child
  • Connectome*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Inhibition, Psychological*
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging
  • Male
  • Models, Neurological
  • Nerve Net / physiology*
  • Psychomotor Performance / physiology*
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Young Adult

Substances

  • Biomarkers