# Validation of electrophysiological biomarkers associated with performance in a preclinical assay of sustained attention

> **NIH NIH R01** · LIEBER INSTITUTE, INC. · 2024 · $753,016

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Sustained attention, the ability to focus on an activity or stimulus over time, is impaired in many brain disorders.
Targeting attentional deficits for treatment is critical because these symptoms are negatively correlated with
functional outcome and quality of life. Continuous performance tests (CPTs) have been designed to measure
sustained attention in multiple species. Similar neural circuits are engaged in both humans and model organisms
during CPT performance, supporting their use in translational studies that screen for novel therapeutics. The
prelimbic cortex (PrL), is involved in both conflict detection and allocation of attention to cues before orientation,
important components in go/no-go tasks like CPTs. Electroencephalogram (EEG) studies in humans show that
neural activity in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC), which shows functional and anatomical analogy to
the rodent PrL, is correlated with task engagement and performance in the CPT. In this application, we optimize
the rCPT to determine the effect of target percentage on the time-on-task vigilance decrement. We then evaluate
the optimized CPT paradigm by assessing the impact of amphetamine, a known enhancer of performance, on
the electrophysiological correlates of behavior. Finally, we mechanistically test the role of neural activity in the
PrL-LC circuit in controlling behavioral performance and electrophysiological correlates in the optimized rCPT.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10936903
- **Project number:** 1R01MH137057-01
- **Recipient organization:** LIEBER INSTITUTE, INC.
- **Principal Investigator:** Gregory V Carr
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $753,016
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-07-10 → 2029-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10936903

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10936903, Validation of electrophysiological biomarkers associated with performance in a preclinical assay of sustained attention (1R01MH137057-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10936903. Licensed CC0.

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