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SUMMARY:The spatial and temporal dynamics of attention: insights from dire
 ct access to the attentional spotlight - Professor Suliann Ben Hamed\, Fre
 nch National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS)
DTSTART:20191115T163000Z
DTEND:20191115T180000Z
UID:TALK128749@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Louise White
DESCRIPTION:Recent accumulating evidence challenges the traditional view o
 f attention as a continuously active spotlight over which we have direct v
 oluntary control\, suggesting instead a rhythmic operation. However\, the 
 precise mechanism through which this rhythmic exploration of space is subs
 erved remains unknown. Recent work proposes that specific inter-areal sync
 hronization mechanisms in the theta range play an important role in this r
 espect. I will present monkey electrophysiological data reconciling these 
 two views. I will apply machine learning methods to reconstruct\, at high 
 spatial and temporal resolution\, the spatial attentional spotlight from m
 onkey prefrontal neuronal activity. I will first describe behavioral and n
 euronal evidence for distinct spatial filtering mechanisms\, the attention
 al spotlight serving to filter in task relevant information while at the s
 ame time filtering out task irrelevant information. I will then provide ev
 idence for rhythmic spatial attention exploration by this prefrontal atten
 tional spotlight in the alpha (7-12Hz) frequency range. I will discuss thi
 s rhythmic exploration of space both from the perspective of sensory encod
 ing and behavioral trial outcome\, when processing either task relevant or
  task irrelevant information. While these oscillations are task-independen
 t\, I will describe how their spatial unfoldment flexibly adjusts to the o
 ngoing behavioral demands. I will conclude by bridging the gap between thi
 s alpha rhythmic exploration by the attentional spotlight and previous rep
 orts on a contribution of long-range theta oscillations in attentional exp
 loration and I will propose a novel integrated account of a dynamic attent
 ional spotlight. \n\nSuliann Ben Hamed has an initial training in mathemat
 ics\, physics and biology. She is alumini of the Ecole Normale Supérieure
  of Paris. In 1999\, she defended a PhD in neurosciences from the Universi
 ty Pierre et Marie Curie. Her PhD was performed at the Collègue de France
 \, in the Laboratory of Neurophysiology of Action and Perception\, directe
 d by Alain Berthoz\, from 1996 to 1999\, and consisted in the characteriza
 tion of the visual and oculomotor parietal functions in the non-human prim
 ate. She then completed a first post-doctoral training in Italy\, at the U
 niversity of Medicine of Parma\, in neuroanatomy\, then a second post-doct
 oral training at the University of Rochester\, USA\, in computational neur
 osciences. \nIn 2002\, she was recruited at the CNRS and joined the Instit
 ute of Cognitive Sciences (Lyon)\, created and directed at the time by Mar
 c Jeannerod. She is now a CNRS research director\, since 2014. She is head
 ing the lab of Cognition and action\, and she combines her research skills
  to set up a lab associating comparative electrophysiology and functional 
 imaging studies in humans and non-human primates\, to question the neural 
 bases of attention\, perception and multisensory space representations in 
 relation with actions. In 2015\, she was awarded a consolidator ERC on att
 ention-based brain machine interfaces to enhance and restore cognition. \n
LOCATION:Ground Floor Lecture Theatre\, Department of Psychology
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