How do we seamlessly transition between reading a novel and reminiscing our last vacation before the pandemic? The ability to flexibly shift our attention between the external environment (i.e. reading a novel) and our inner world (i.e. reminiscing our last vacation) is crucial for optimal performance of activities in our daily lives. The proposed project will determine how the brain controls this seamless transition between attention states using brain recordings from neurosurgical patients who have electrodes implanted in their brains as part of their clinical procedure. This research will reveal how the brain regulates this fundamental human behavior of shifting between external and internal attention, a ubiquitous process that a healthy mind regularly engages in throughout the day. It will also provide insight into potential interventions for enhancing this capacity in healthy individuals, and combating its deterioration in developmental, psychiatric, and neurological disorders.
