Kwangsun Ray Yoo, Ph.D.
April 17(Mon) - April 17(Mon), 2023
1:30pm
N센터 86120호
CNIR Seminar
Date: 1:30pm, Monday, April 17th
Speaker: Kwangsun Ray Yoo, Ph.D. (Yale University)
Title: Computational modeling of the human attention network
Abstract: Leveraging large-scale databases and theory-based laboratory experiments, my research program aims to build generalizable predictive models of the human brain and cognition, with a focus on attention [1-4]. Attention is central to many aspects of cognition, and its deficits are prevalent in many neuropsychiatric disorders. Despite this pervasive role of attention in our daily lives, researchers and clinicians lack a standardized way to measure a person’s overall attentional functioning, in contrast to intelligence research and educational practice, which benefit greatly from the g-factor (or IQ [intelligence quotient] test). To this end, I developed a standard brain-based measure of attention, by collecting data from ~100 participants performing three different attentional tasks during fMRI and implementing another computational framework that formulates brain’s functional reconfiguration [3, 4]. The standardized model accurately predicts an individual’s overall attentional ability from rest fMRI data and achieves state-of-the-art generalizability across four independent datasets of different attentional measures, including ADHD symptom severity. The successful generalization validates its broad practical utility for research and clinical applications. In addition, ongoing projects aim 1) to discover an attention-level-dependence of the human attention network [5] and 2) to construct a predictive model of the brain and attentional function development across the lifespan [6]. These computational approaches can be applied to the study of other aspects of the brain, including intelligence [2, 4], memory [7-9], bilingualism [10], and clinical conditions [11, 12]. The extended adaptations demonstrate that developing broadly applicable computational models can provide a new way to study human brain cognition and contribute to diverse neuroscience communities.