# Sensory and Control Mechanisms of Temporal Attention

> **NIH NIH F32** · BOSTON UNIVERSITY (CHARLES RIVER CAMPUS) · 2024 · $76,756

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Visual attention, the ability to select relevant information for prioritized processing, is a fundamental mechanism
for parsing a complex visual world. Importantly, attention is dynamic, acting across time to prioritize information
at behaviorally relevant moments, a process known as temporal attention. Although we know that temporal
attention affects visual perception, the neural mechanisms underlying temporal attention have been little
investigated. Specifically, it remains unknown 1) where in the human brain temporal attention influences visual
processing and 2) what cortical networks control the allocation of visual temporal attention. Here I propose to
investigate the sensory and control mechanisms of temporal attention using contemporary methods in human
visual neuroscience. The high spatial resolution of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) makes it an
ideal tool for investigating the roles of specific cortical areas; however, its slow temporal resolution has obscured
its potential value in studies of temporal attention. To circumvent this limitation, in Aim 1 I will use decoding
together with a tailored experimental design to determine where in the visual cortex temporal attention modulates
sensory processing. In Aim 2 I will use individual-observer mapping to identify control networks that guide
temporal attention and further analyze regions of interest to distinguish between possible control mechanisms.
In Aim 3 I will use the data collected in Aims 1 and 2 to test predictions of a recently introduced dynamic
normalization model of temporal attention and, if warranted, update its architecture and parameters to better
predict the neuroimaging data. Together these experiments and modeling will advance our understanding of the
neural mechanisms of temporal attention as well as our computational theories of dynamic attention.
Understanding these basic mechanisms is relevant for clinical populations with impairments in visual temporal
attention, including individuals with ADHD, neglect, and cerebellar degeneration.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10789961
- **Project number:** 5F32EY033625-03
- **Recipient organization:** BOSTON UNIVERSITY (CHARLES RIVER CAMPUS)
- **Principal Investigator:** Michael Lewis Epstein
- **Activity code:** F32 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $76,756
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2022-03-01 → 2025-02-28

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10789961

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10789961, Sensory and Control Mechanisms of Temporal Attention (5F32EY033625-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10789961. Licensed CC0.

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