Neurophysiology of Working Memory Maturation in Adolescence

项目总结 这个项目的目标是研究成熟过程的神经底物， 发生在青春期前后，与一种关键认知能力的发展有关 能力，工作记忆。前额叶皮质是灵长类动物大脑的一部分，极大地扩张 与其他脊椎动物相比，它经历了一个漫长的成熟过程 青春期和成年早期。这一过程反映了高等认知的发展。 功能。许多精神疾病都与前额叶的成熟有关。 大脑皮层，最明显的是精神分裂症，表现在成年期早期。执行职能 在成年后也会有所改善，这种能力的不充分发展与 犯罪和其他对健康和社会有重要意义的条件。人们对此知之甚少 青春期前额叶皮质的生理变化及其调节作用 增强认知控制。利用最新的方法和概念 进展，我们建议调查前额叶皮质生理学发生的变化 青春期过后。我们建议使用非人类灵长类动物模型，这将允许我们进行 青春期和成年动物前额叶皮质的神经生理记录。我们的 这项研究将利用经过训练的猴子执行测试工作记忆的行为任务 才能。实验将记录与任务表现相关的神经元活动，以了解 神经变量在青春期开始后成熟。这些实验将为我们提供关于 前额叶皮质的发育如何改变其生理反应，这一发现将是 对于理解和治疗被认为与失败有关的精神疾病是必不可少的 前额叶皮质成熟的特征。

PROJECT SUMMARY The goal of this project is to investigate the neural substrates of the maturation process that takes place around puberty and which is associated with the development of a key cognitive ability, working memory. The prefrontal cortex, a part of the brain greatly expanded in primates compared to other vertebrates, undergoes a long maturation process that extends through puberty and into early adulthood. This process mirrors the development of higher cognitive functions. A number of mental illnesses have onsets linked to the maturation of the prefrontal cortex, most notably schizophrenia, which manifests itself in early adulthood. Executive function also improves in adulthood, and inadequate development of this capacity is associated with delinquency and other conditions of health and social significance. Little is known about the physiological changes that the prefrontal cortex undergoes in adolescence so as to mediate increased cognitive control. Taking advantage of recent methodological and conceptual advances, we propose to investigate the changes of prefrontal cortical physiology that occur after puberty. We propose to use a non-human primate model that will allow us to conduct neurophysiological recordings in the prefrontal cortex of peri-pubertal and adult animals. Our study will make use of monkeys trained to perform behavioral tasks that test working memory ability. Experiments will record neuronal activity related to task performance to understand what neural variables maturate after the onset of puberty. These experiments will offer insights on how development of the prefrontal cortex alters its physiological responses, findings that will be essential for understanding and treating mental illnesses thought to be associated with a failure of prefrontal cortical maturation.