Auditory and Visual Integration and Plasticity

描述（由申请人提供）：视觉和听觉在空间和时间协同作用中代表外部世界，这对指导几乎所有自然活动至关重要。这两个系统在空间处理方面有很大的不同;图像直接映射到视网膜上，而听觉空间必须使用基于耳间差异和光谱内容的位置相关线索来集中构建。从这些不同的输入，视觉和听觉空间必须整合到一个共同的坐标方案和参考框架是有用的。此外，必须准确地跟踪眼睛运动以保持空间恒定性，因为它们相对于头部移动视网膜图像，而耳朵（和听觉空间）保持头部固定。该项目的目标是了解尽管存在发育、疾病和衰老的挑战，但人类感官之间的空间协同校准是如何保持的。具体目标将：1）建立眼位在空间定位基础上的视听交互中的作用; 2）研究眼位和交叉感觉经验对棱镜诱导的视觉空间移位后声音定位适应性变化的相对贡献; 3）阐明使用“虚拟耳朵”直接操纵听觉空间线索后声音定位的新适应机制。“在适应性挑战之前和之后的行为实验将量化听觉和视觉空间定位的准确性和精度，同时控制和监测随着时间的推移的感官输入和眼睛位置。衰老对空间感觉和适应性可塑性的影响将在第九个十年中讨论。这个项目将提供一个基本的了解视听整合和适应可塑性之间的空间感。这些因素对于在疾病和自然衰老的挑战后恢复正常的空间行为至关重要。下一步是利用这些新知识开发新的诊断和治疗干预措施。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Vision and audition represent the outside world in spatial and temporal synergy that is crucial for guiding nearly all natural activities. The two systems differ dramatically in their processing of space; images are mapped directly onto the retina, while auditory space must be constructed centrally using location- dependent cues based upon interaural differences and spectral content. From these diverse inputs, visual and auditory space must be integrated into a common coordinate scheme and reference frame to be useful. Additionally, eye movements must be tracked accurately to maintain space constancy because they shift the retinal image relative to the head while the ears (and auditory space) remain head-fixed. The goal of this project is to understand how spatial co-calibration between the senses is maintained in humans despite the challenges of development, disease, and aging. Specific aims will: 1) establish the role of eye position in audio-visual interactions underlying spatial localization; 2) examine the relative contributions of eye position and cross-sensory experience on adaptive changes in sound localization after prism-induced shifts of visual space; and 3) elucidate novel adaptive mechanisms in sound localization following direct manipulations of auditory spatial cues using "virtual ears." Behavioral experiments before and after adaptive challenges will quantify the accuracy and precision of auditory and visual spatial localization across a broad region of frontal (multi-sensory) space while controlling and monitoring sensory inputs and eye position over time. Influences of senescence on the spatial senses and adaptive plasticity will be addressed into the ninth decade. This project will provide a fundamental understanding of audio-visual integration and adaptive plasticity between the spatial senses. These factors are essential for the recovery of normal spatial behavior following the challenges of disease and natural aging. A next step is to exploit this new knowledge towards the development of novel diagnostic and therapeutic interventions.