Cortical Responses To Single & Multi-Site Skin Stimuli

描述(由申请人提供)：本申请中提出的实验的主要目标是确定SI皮层神经电活动的维度，这些维度可以解释(即，作为SI相关性)由选定的单部位和多部位皮肤刺激条件所引起的知觉体验。每个实验将通过使用近红外光学本征信号(OIS)成像和单个神经元棘波放电活动的细胞外记录的新颖而强大的组合来获得对每个刺激条件的整体和单个神经元的反应的测量。提出了两个系列的OIS成像/神经生理记录组合实验。在第一个系列(系列I)中，对于幅度不同的皮肤颤动刺激，将获得由单一部位皮肤刺激引起的全局和单个神经元反应。这一系列的每个实验都将使用与已发表的关于颤动幅度对感知强度影响的人类心理物理研究中使用的相同幅度范围。第二系列实验将评估SI对双部位皮肤颤动刺激的反应-他们将寻求确定SI与公认的知觉现象(例如，空间压缩、强度调制等)的相关性。人类心理物理研究已经证明，在类似的多部位皮肤刺激条件下。总体而言，在系列I和II实验中获得的信息应该能够量化SI皮质内不同区域之间的刺激定向相互作用-相互作用具有相当大的潜在功能重要性，尽管从理论上预测了这些相互作用，但迄今为止发表的任何实验研究都没有涉及这些相互作用。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The primary goal of the experiments proposed in this application is to identify dimensions of SI cortical neuroelectrical activity that could account (i.e., serve as the SI correlate) for the perceptual experiences evoked by selected conditions of single- and multi-site skin stimulation. Every experiment will obtain measures of both the global and single neuron responses to each stimulus condition by using a novel and powerful combination of the methods of near-infrared optical intrinsic signal (OIS) imaging and extracellular recording of single neuron spike discharge activity. Two series of combined OIS imaging/neurophysiological recording experiments are proposed. In the first series (Series I), the global and single neuron responses evoked by single-site skin stimulation will be obtained for skin flutter stimuli that differ only in amplitude. Each experiment of this series will use the same range of amplitudes used in published human psychophysical studies of the effects of flutter amplitude on perceived intensity. The Series II experiments will evaluate the responses of SI to dual-site skin flutter stimulation - they will seek to identify SI correlates for well-established perceptual phenomena (e.g., spatial compression, intensity modulation, etc.) that human psychophysical studies have demonstrated under comparable conditions of multi-site skin stimulation. Collectively, the information obtained in the Series I and II experiments should enable quantification of stimulus-directed interactions between topographically and cytoarchitectonically distinct regions within SI cortex - interactions of considerable potential functional importance which although predicted on theoretical grounds, have not been addressed in any experimental study published to date.