Closed Loop NeuroStimulation of Attention

ended

It is estimated that we spend up to 50% of our waking hours lost in thought and although mind-wandering (MW) has been associated with adaptive features of cognition such as creativity, it has also been linked with maladaptive patterns of thought that lead to states of reduced attention that can affect safety, learning and mental health. The level of intentionality with which MW is pursued has recently been identified as a key moderating factor between beneficial and detrimental consequences, and has been linked to the thickness of the prefrontal cortex as well as disorders of attention. Non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) to this structure has been shown to modulate the underlying neurocognitive processes of executive control with the potential of correcting the trajectory of maladaptive patterns of activity and the promise to improve attention in health and disease. However, the potential of NIBS to restore and improve brain functions has been challenged by the inter- and intraindividual variability in the response to neurostimulation. CLONESA seeks to identify the individual neurocognitive markers of attention and optimal neurostimulation parameters for the development of a “closed-loop” system able to assess and modulate neural patterns of activity in real time for prospective use in a plug n’ play device for precision medicine. These patterns will be detected with EEG-based neuroadaptive systems (NAS) during tests of sustained attention and the optimal alpha-tACS parameters will be identified with Bayesian optimization. Lastly, the findings will be implemented and tested on a large scale with a commercial closed-loop neurostimulation device for a rapid translation of neuroscientific research to personalized interventions towards cognitive enhancement and treatment of attentional disorders. The present action will pioneer the intersection of NAS, NIBS and translational research for the benefit of healthy and clinical populations.