Cortical Plasticity and Processing of Speech Sounds

皮质可塑性和语音处理

• 批准号: 6754965
• 负责人: MICHAEL P KILGARD
• 金额: $ 22.43万
• 依托单位: UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS DALLAS
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2004
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2004-04-01 至 2007-03-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/6754965
• 关键词: auditory cortex; brain mapping; electroencephalography; experience; laboratory rat; language development; neural information processing; neural plasticity; neurons; perceptual maskings; sound; sound frequency; speech; speech recognition; speech therapy

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Approximately one out of every fifteen children entering elementary school in the U.S. has a significant developmental language impairment of unknown origin. Detailed studies of speech acoustics have significantly improved understanding and treatment of language impairments. These studies also provide the foundation needed to investigate the neural representation of speech. While peripheral representations have been extensively studied, relatively little is known about the cortical mechanisms that contribute to speech processing. The objective of this proposal is to define the distributed response of mammalian auditory cortex neurons to human speech sounds and to determine what experience-dependent changes in the neural representation of speech are possible. The first aim of the project will be to precisely document the distributed response of auditory cortex neurons to speech sounds. Our preliminary results (from awake and anesthetized recordings in two distinct auditory fields) indicate that frequency bandwidth and forward masking time course appear to account for speech responses of most auditory cortex neurons. The second aim will be to document the distributed cortical response to exaggerated speech sounds that have been used to treat language-learning impairments in thousands of children. Our initial findings indicate that the cortical activity patterns generated by modified speech are more distinct than the patterns generated by natural speech sounds. The third aim will be to establish how cortical neurons are modified by exposure to natural and modified speech sounds. The results of the proposed studies will add to our understanding of neural mechanisms that could contribute to speech processing and learning in human auditory cortex. Insights derived from these studies will influence the use and development of behavioral and sensory rehabilitation of language impairments.

描述（由申请人提供）：在美国，大约每15个进入小学的孩子中就有一个有不明原因的显著发展性语言障碍。对语音声学的详细研究大大提高了对语言障碍的理解和治疗。这些研究也为研究言语的神经表征提供了必要的基础。虽然外周表征已被广泛研究，但对有助于语音处理的皮层机制知之甚少。本提案的目的是定义哺乳动物听觉皮层神经元对人类语音的分布反应，并确定语音神经表征中可能存在的经验依赖变化。该项目的第一个目标是精确记录听觉皮层神经元对语音的分布反应。我们的初步结果（从两个不同的听觉领域的清醒和麻醉记录）表明，频率带宽和前向掩蔽时间过程似乎解释了大多数听觉皮层神经元的语言反应。第二个目标是记录大脑皮层对夸张语音的分布式反应，这种反应已被用于治疗数千名儿童的语言学习障碍。我们的初步研究结果表明，改良语音产生的皮层活动模式比自然语音产生的模式更明显。第三个目标将是确定皮层神经元是如何通过暴露于自然和修饰的语音而改变的。这些研究的结果将增加我们对人类听觉皮层中语音处理和学习的神经机制的理解。从这些研究中获得的见解将影响语言障碍的行为和感觉康复的使用和发展。