Functional properties of neurons in the Claustrum and their contribution on the processing of multimodal sensory events

我们的大脑正在处理通过不同方式记录的大量感官事件，例如视觉或听觉。感官信息首先由特定的感官区域处理，并在后期整合，形成统一的感知，可用于行为反应。这一整合步骤虽然是假设和预期的，但人们对它的了解非常少。当前项目的目标是研究这种多模态整合，特别是阐明一个很大程度上难以捉摸的大脑结构的作用，其独特的解剖连接非常适合这种多模态整合过程：Claudrum。Claudrum是一个皮质下结构，与感觉、联想和运动区有广泛的、大多数是相互的解剖学连接。为了确定Claudrum的功能，我们将使用功能成像（fMRI）和电生理学在麻醉和清醒的行为猴子暴露于视觉，听觉和触觉刺激的隔离和组合。利用功能磁共振成像，我们将研究在大规模的claudrum的功能组织，这将有助于指导后续的电生理实验。对于相同的动物，将使用MR可见造影剂使体内皮质-闭合连接可视化，并将其与多模态活动区域相关联。最后，在清醒的动物执行行为任务时，将研究在“真实的生活条件”下单个克劳氏神经元的特性。

Our brains are processing a constant flood of sensory events registered through different modalities, such as vision or audition. Sensory information is first processed by specific sensory areas and is integrated at later stages to form unified percepts that may be used for behavioral reactions. This step of integration, although assumed and expected, is very poorly understood. The goal of the current project is to study such multimodal integration and especially to elucidate the role of one largely elusive brain structure, whose unique anatomical connectivity is ideally suited for this process of multimodal integration: the Claustrum. The Claustrum is a subcortical structure with extensive and mostly reciprocal anatomical connectivity to sensory, association and motor areas. To determine the function of the Claustrum we will use functional imaging (fMRI) and electrophysiology in anaesthetized and awake behaving monkeys exposed to visual, auditory and touch stimuli in isolation and combination. Using fMRI we will study the functional organization of the Claustrum at large scale which will serve to guide subsequent electrophysiological experiments. With the same animals MR-visible contrast agents will be used visualize the cortico-Claustral connectivity in vivo and to relate this to regions of multimodal activity. Last, the properties of individual Claustral neurons under `real life conditions¿ will be investigated in awake animals performing a behavioral task.