STRUCTURE AND PLASTICITY OF CENTRAL HEARING MECHANISMS

描述：(改编自申请人的摘要)本系列 研究复杂的轨迹跟踪实验在一个光和电子 微观水平将被用来检查发展/可塑性在 在雪貂听力开始后的头两个月。建议 研究将集中于改变传入投射的偏侧性。 以及脑干听觉核团。这些研究将检验是否 旺盛的增殖伴随着随后的侧方上的细化 橄榄核投射和/或突触回路的细化 发生在IC中。这第一系列研究将作为基线 用于研究单耳剥夺。剥夺研究将有所帮助 确定不同途径之间的竞争可能起到的作用 每只耳朵都处于发育可塑性中。单声道和双声道 使用耳塞的剥夺将被用来改变听觉 在听证会开始后的头两个月的经历 雪貂。结果应该会让人们更好地理解这种影响 关于这些双耳感官通路发展的经验。

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.