Neuroplasticity of selective attention: Research foundations and preliminary evidence for a gene by intervention interaction

• Published in: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS 2017-08, Vol.114 (35), p.9247-9254
• Main Authors: Isbell, Elif, Stevens, Courtney, Pakulak, Eric, Wray, Amanda Hampton, Bell, Theodore A., Neville, Helen J.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Attention; Attention - physiology; Attentional Bias - physiology; Biological Sciences; Child, Preschool; Children; Evidence-Based Medicine - methods; Evoked Potentials - physiology; Genotype & phenotype; Humans; INAUGURAL ARTICLE; Neurobiology; Neuronal Plasticity - genetics; Neuroplasticity; Preschool children; Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins - genetics; Socioeconomic Factors; Socioeconomics; Studies
• ISSN: 0027-8424; 1091-6490
• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1707241114

This article reviews the trajectory of our research program on selective attention, which has moved from basic research on the neural processes underlying selective attention to translational studies using selective attention as a neurobiological target for evidence-based interventions. We use this background to present a promising preliminary investigation of how genetic and experiential factors interact during development (i.e., gene × intervention interactions). Our findings provide evidence on how exposure to a family-based training can modify the associations between genotype (5-HTTLPR) and the neural mechanisms of selective attention in preschool children from lower socioeconomic status backgrounds.