How the brain notices and seeks out new things
Neuronal mechanisms of novelty seeking
This project looks at how brain circuits make new visual objects grab attention and drive behavior in primates, including people.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Johns Hopkins University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Baltimore, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11361461 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You might be asked to do simple visual and eye-tracking tasks so researchers can measure how new images catch your attention. The team will compare those human behavioral results with detailed recordings from primate brains to map circuits that respond to novelty. They will focus on a pathway from the anterior ventral medial temporal cortex to the zona incerta and analyze single-neuron activity to find the algorithmic signals of novelty. Results aim to link those brain signals to behaviors seen in conditions like autism, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal participants would include people with differences in novelty seeking—such as autistic individuals or those with anxiety or obsessive-compulsive tendencies—or healthy volunteers who can perform visual attention tasks.
Not a fit: People seeking immediate clinical treatment or drug-based interventions should not expect direct therapeutic benefit from this basic neuroscience project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could reveal brain circuit targets and biomarkers that help explain and eventually guide treatments for atypical novelty seeking in conditions such as autism and anxiety.
How similar studies have performed: Prior human and primate studies have shown brain responses to novelty, but the specific AVMTC-to-zona incerta circuit and the proposed single-neuron algorithm are largely novel and not yet proven.
Where this research is happening
Baltimore, United States
- Johns Hopkins University — Baltimore, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Monosov, Ilya E. — Johns Hopkins University
- Study coordinator: Monosov, Ilya E.
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.