FUNCTIONAL ARCHITECTURE OF MONKEY PREFRONTAL CORTEX

前额叶皮质(PFC)区明显扩大， 在灵长类动物的大脑中分化，似乎是专门针对 调节某些复杂的认知功能。此外，还包括多个 一系列证据表明，PFC可能是功能障碍或 人类神经精神障碍的结构病理学，如 精神分裂症，会扰乱高级认知功能。了解 PFC功能障碍在精神分裂症病理生理学中的可能作用 需要在正常状态下对存在的神经元件的知识 在PFC中，它们的特点和作用是内在的 PFC的组织以及所产生的官能团的方式 建筑影响其他人的活动，并受其影响 大脑区域。 为了解决这些问题，我们计划将内在的 灵长类PFC的兴奋性联系，以猕猴为实验对象 一个人类的模型。锥体神经元，大脑皮层的主要类别 传出神经元，也会产生局部轴突侧支 皮层内兴奋性运动传播的主要因素 活动。这些络脉延伸了相当长的距离。 并设置有规则分布终端集群 Money PFC中的场看起来是以网格结构排列的 具有独特的条纹状外观。在建议的研究中，我们希望 来定义这种晶格结构的精确三维几何图形，以及 它与兴奋和抑制回路的其他模式的关系。 但是，了解此功能的特点 目前，大脑皮质内回路依赖于从 在其他皮质区域进行的电生理研究 物种，其功能架构很可能实质上是 与灵长类PPC不同。因此，我们开发了一种 猕猴PFC体外切片制备方法的研究 的生物物理学和突触微生理学的信息 猴子PFC的内在连接性。建议的权力 实验策略的结果来自于结构和 电生理学方法，允许测试特定的 关于灵长类PFC功能回路的假说。

The prefrontal cortical (PFC) regions are markedly expanded and differentiated in the primate brain, and appear to be specialized for the mediation of certain complex cognitive functions. In addition, multiple lines of evidence suggest that the PFC may be a site of dysfunction or structural pathology in human neuropsychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia, that disrupt higher cognitive functions. Understanding the possible role of PFC dysfunction in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia requires knowledge, in the normal state, of the neural elements present in PFC, their distinguishing features and roles in the intrinsic organization of PFC, and of the manner in which the resultant functional architecture influences, and is influenced by, the activity of other brain regions. In order to address these issues, we plan to characterize the intrinsic excitatory connections of the primate PFC, using the macaque monkey as a model of the human. Pyramidal neurons, the major class of cortical efferent neurons, also give rise to local axon collaterals which are major contributors to the propagation of intracortical excitatory activity. These collaterals extend for a considerable distance horizontally, and furnish regularly distributed clusters of terminal fields, which in monkey PFC, appear to be arrayed in a lattice structure with a unique stripe-like appearance. In the proposed studies, we wish to define the exact 3-dimensional geometry of this lattice structure, and its relation to other patterns of excitatory and inhibitory circuitry. However, understanding the functional characteristics of this intracortical circuitry depends, at present, upon extrapolations from electrophysiological studies conducted in other cortical regions or species, whose functional architecture is likely to be substantially different from that of primate PPC. Consequently, we have developed an in vitro slice preparation of monkey PFC in order to provide detailed information on the biophysics and synaptic microphysiology of the intrinsic connectivity of monkey PFC. The power of the proposed experimental strategy results from the integration of structural and electrophysiological approaches which permit the testing of specific hypotheses about the functional circuitry of primate PFC.