How the brain's attention and spatial-vision areas develop from childhood to adulthood
Development of Human Dorsal Visual Cortex
Researchers will use child-friendly brain scans and video-game tasks to map attention-related visual brain networks in children, teens, and adults.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Princeton University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Princeton, UNITED STATES) |
| Project ID | NIH-11269158 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You would visit Princeton for short MRI sessions while playing specially designed video games that help measure how your brain processes space and attention. The team will collect functional MRI, quantitative MRI, and anatomical data from each person to build detailed maps of the dorsal visual pathway at different ages. By combining these measurements, researchers aim to link changes in brain tissue and activity with how visual attention and spatial skills mature. The project includes children, adolescents, and adults so it can chart development across the lifespan.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal participants are children, teenagers, and adults who can safely undergo MRI scans and follow simple game-like tasks during the visit.
Not a fit: People with MRI contraindications (for example, certain metal implants or severe claustrophobia), very young infants who cannot complete task demands, or individuals unable to cooperate with scanning may not be able to participate or benefit.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could clarify how changes in attention-related visual systems develop and help guide future approaches to diagnosing or treating attention-related conditions like ADHD.
How similar studies have performed: Related methods have successfully mapped the ventral visual stream during development, but mapping the dorsal visual stream across childhood and adolescence is a novel application.
Where this research is happening
Princeton, UNITED STATES
- Princeton University — Princeton, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Gomez, Jesse Lee — Princeton University
- Study coordinator: Gomez, Jesse Lee
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.