Somatosensory Cortical Influences on Subcortical Processing

基底神经节和脑桥小脑系统都参与感觉运动和认知 行为。虽然通常很难以受控的方式激活动物的认知过程， 躯体感觉系统及其靶点容易被受控刺激激活。因此，结构 控制这些大脑区域感觉整合的功能原则可能适用于 认知信息的整合。使用体感系统作为模型系统，我们计划 分析和比较新纹状体和脑桥中皮质输入的整合。的潜在 这项工作的临床重要性是强调了基底神经节已经牵连在 几种神经系统疾病，包括帕金森病、亨廷顿舞蹈病和图雷特综合征， 而脑桥小脑系统与几种临床感觉运动问题有关。这个项目 四个目标： 目标1.支持或反驳双侧皮质纹状体和皮质桥脑重叠最大的假设， 来自Ml部位的投射表示双侧协调的近侧身体部分。 目标2.支持或反驳这一假设，即来自SI和SI I的皮质桥脑投射使更多的 整合比来自相同部位的皮质纹状体投射或比来自SI和ML的投射 目标3.支持或反驳新纹状体神经元主要在接受 来自相关的同步输入（即，相互连接的）皮层区域。 目标4。支持或反驳的假设，刺激诱导的神经元活动在SI桶皮层和 脑桥比SI皮质和新纹状体中的刺激诱导的活动更强地相关。

The basal ganglia and pontocerebellar systems are both involved in sensorimotor and cognitive behaviors. While it is often difficult to activate cognitive processes in animals in a controlled manner, the somatosensory system and its targets are easily activated by controlled stimulation. Hence, the structural and functional principles that govern sensory integration in these brain regions are likely to apply to the integration of cognitive information as well. Using the somatosensory system as a model system, we plan to analyze and compare the integration of cortical inputs in both the neostriatum and the pons. The potential clinical importance of this work is underscored by the fact that the basal ganglia have been implicated in several neurologic disorders including Parkinson's disease, Huntington's chorea, and Tourette's syndrome, while the pontocerebellar system is associated with several clinical sensorimotor problems. This project has four aims: Aim 1. Support or refute the hypothesis that bilateral corticostriatal and corticopontine overlap is greatest for projections from Ml sites representing proximal body parts that are bilaterally coordinated. Aim 2. Support or refute the hypothesis that corticopontine projections from SI and SI I enable more integration than corticostriatal projections from the same sites or than projections from SI and ML Aim 3. Support or refute the hypothesis that neostriatal neurons discharge mainly when they receive synchronous inputs from related (ie., interconnected) cortical areas in somatosensory cortex. Aim 4. Support or refute the hypothesis that stimulus-induced neuronal activity in SI barrel cortex and the pons are more strongly correlated than stimulus-induced activity in SI cortex and the neostriatum.