STRUCTURE AND PLASTICITY OF CENTRAL HEARING MECHANISMS

描述：（改编自申请人的摘要）在本系列中 研究光和电子的复杂轨迹追踪实验 微观水平将用于检查发育/可塑性 雪貂出现听力后的头两个月。 提议 研究将集中于改变传入投射的偏侧性 和脑干听觉核团。 这些研究将检验是否 旺盛的增殖和随后的外侧上细化 橄榄核投射和/或突触回路的细化 发生在IC中。 第一系列研究将作为基线 用于单耳剥夺的研究。 剥夺研究将有所帮助 确定由以下因素激发的途径之间竞争的可能作用 每只耳朵的发育可塑性。单耳和双耳均可 使用耳塞剥夺将用于改变听觉 听证会开始后头两个月的经历 雪貂。 结果应该有助于更好地理解影响 开发这些双耳感觉通路的经验。

DESCRIPTION: (Adapted From The Applicant's Abstract) In this series of studies sophisticated track tracing experiments at a light and electron microscopic level will be used to examine development/plasticity during the first two months after onset of hearing in the ferret. Proposed studies will focus on altered laterality of afferent projections from and to brainstem auditory nuclei. These studies will examine if exuberant proliferation with subsequent refinement of lateral superior olivary nucleus projections and/or refinement of synaptic circuitry occurs in the IC. This first series of studies will serve as a baseline for studies of monaural deprivation. Deprivation studies will help determine the possible role of competition between pathways excited by each ear in developmental plasticity. Both monaural and binaural deprivation using ear plugging will be used to alter the auditory experience during the first two months after onset of hearing in the ferret. Results should lead to a better understanding of the influence of experience on the development of these binaural sensory pathways.