How the brain balances steady focus and flexible thinking
Neurocognitive mechanisms of control over cognitive stability and flexibility
['FUNDING_R01'] · DUKE UNIVERSITY · NIH-11180466
This work looks at how people shift between staying focused and quickly changing tasks to better understand attention problems like ADHD.
Quick facts
| Phase | ['FUNDING_R01'] |
|---|---|
| Study type | Nih_funding |
| Sex | All |
| Sponsor | DUKE UNIVERSITY (nih funded) |
| Locations | 1 site (DURHAM, UNITED STATES) |
| Trial ID | NIH-11180466 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
What this research studies
You would do computer tasks that ask you to either keep a strong focus or switch quickly between different rules while researchers record your behavior and brain activity (for example with EEG or MRI). The team will compare people who have attention difficulties such as ADHD with people without those difficulties and use computer models to explain the brain signals that control focus versus flexibility. They will also look at how quickly and strategically people adjust their level of focus when demands change. The aim is to identify measurable brain and behavioral patterns that could guide future treatments or strategies.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are people with ADHD or self-reported attention difficulties, as well as healthy volunteers who can do computer-based tasks and attend sessions at Duke.
Not a fit: People with unrelated medical conditions, severe cognitive impairments that prevent task participation, or who cannot travel to the study site are unlikely to benefit directly from participating.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could point to new targets for therapies or practical strategies to help people with ADHD and other attention problems.
How similar studies have performed: Past studies have mapped brain patterns for staying focused and for task-switching separately, but combining them to study dynamic control is a newer approach with encouraging early results.
Where this research is happening
DURHAM, UNITED STATES
- DUKE UNIVERSITY — DURHAM, UNITED STATES (ACTIVE)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: EGNER, TOBIAS — DUKE UNIVERSITY
- Study coordinator: EGNER, TOBIAS
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.
Conditions: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder