How the thalamus helps attention and what we see
Official title: Functions of the thalamus in attention and perception
Funded at Princeton University · NIH-11394584 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This work looks at how a deep brain area called the pulvinar helps the brain focus attention and process visual information, with relevance for people with attention or autism-related challenges.
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 start | April 1, 2007 |
| Project end | March 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $574,574 |
| NIH project number | 5R01EY017699-15 |
| Project ID | NIH-11394584 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
This grant primarily funds basic neuroscience in animal models and does not currently enroll patients, though people with ADHD or autism might be eligible for related human studies if they are offered in the future.
✕Less likely to help
People looking for immediate clinical treatment or therapy will not directly benefit from this basic, animal-focused research in the short term.
What this research studies
Researchers record brain signals from the pulvinar and connected cortical areas while primates perform attention and vision tasks to map how these areas coordinate. They combine simultaneous multi-site electrical recordings with knowledge from human and monkey lesion studies to link neural activity patterns to attention behavior. The team examines connections between the pulvinar, frontal and parietal cortex, and the superior colliculus to see how information is routed and filtered during attention. Findings aim to clarify the circuits that allow the brain to ignore distractions and select important visual information.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: A clearer map of attention circuits could eventually lead to new diagnostics or therapies for attention difficulties in ADHD or autism.
How similar studies have gone: Previous lesion and recording studies in humans and monkeys have suggested a role for the pulvinar in attention, and this project builds on promising but still early evidence.
Where this research is happening
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Princeton University
Princeton, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Kastner, Sabine — Princeton University
- Study coordinator: Kastner, Sabine
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.