Spectral and Temporal Integration in the Auditory System

这项拟议的研究的总体目标是阐明神经元活动和 听觉功能。具体地说，我们感兴趣的是(1)人类和非人类的心理物理能力是什么？ 人类受试者在整合声音的频谱和时间特征方面，以及(2)听觉皮层如何 单个神经元的反应与这种能力有关，通过心理物理表现来衡量。 将对人类和非人类受试者进行心理物理测量，以确定他们的能力 辨别在时间上或频谱上复杂的声音然后，我们将记录来自非 人类受试者在辨别心理物理实验中使用的声音时。为了一个目标，我们 我将研究幅度调制作为声音持续时间和AM频率的函数以及其他目的 研究复杂的声谱。使用信号检测理论的新修改，我们将确定 神经元的辨别能力，以及单个神经元的放电是否更紧密 与声音的物理属性或心理判断有关。这些结果将 提供单个神经元生理功能和心理物理表现之间的关键直接联系。 这些数据将增加关于由于中风创伤和其他原因造成的皮质破坏的影响的知识 听力方面的大脑退行性疾病。此外，这项研究应该增加对 时间听觉加工似乎与阅读障碍和其他疾病的许多影响有关 发育障碍。因此，这些结果对理解和治疗有潜在的用处。 中风和发育障碍。实现这三个目标将使我们能够严格评估：(1)如何 频谱和时间信息由听觉中枢神经系统整合和组合。

The general goal of the proposed research is to illuminate the relationship between neuronal activity and auditory function. Specifically we are interested (1) what are the psychophysical abilities of human and non- human subjects in integrating spectral and temporal features of sounds, and (2) how do auditory cortical single neuron responses relate to this ability as measured through psychophysical performance. Psychophysical measurements will be made from human and non-human subjects to determine their ability to discriminate temporally or spectrally complex sounds. We will then record single unit responses from non- human subjects while they discriminate sounds used in the psychophysical experiments. For one aim, we will investigate amplitude modulation as a function of sound duration and AM frequency and for the other aim investigate complex sound spectra. Using novel modifications of signal detection theory, we will determine the discriminative capabilities of neurons, and whether the firing of individual neurons is more closely associated with the physical attributes of sound or to the pscyhophysicaljudgement. These results will provide critical direct links between single neuron physiological function and psychophysical perfrormance. This data will add knowledge about the effects of cortical disruptions due to strokes trauma, and other degenerative diseases of the brain on hearing. Additionally, this study should add to the understanding of temporal acoustical processing which appears related to many of the effects of dyslexia and other developmental disorders. These results accordingly are of potential use for understanding and treating strokes and developmental disorders. Achieving the three aims will allow us to rigorously assess: (1) how spectral and temporal information is integrated and combined by the auditory central nervous system.