Auditory Processing and Memory for Complex Signals

复杂信号的听觉处理和记忆

• 批准号: 7995494
• 负责人: DAVID S VICARIO
• 金额: $ 30.53万
• 依托单位: RUTGERS, THE STATE UNIV OF N.J.
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2007
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2007-12-01 至 2012-11-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/7995494
• 关键词: Acoustics; Acute; Address; Adult; Animals; Auditory; Auditory area; Birds; Brain; Chronic; Communication; Complex; Critiques; Data; Discrimination; Electrodes; Familiarity; Female; Figs - dietary; Frequencies; GABA-B Receptor; Glycine Receptors; Goals; Hour; Human; Individual; Intervention; Knowledge; Language; Learning; Light; Link; Measures; Medial; Memory; Methods; Modeling; Neurons; Outcome; Pattern; Physiological; Play; Preparation; Process; Production; Property; Prosencephalon; Protein Synthesis Inhibitors; Recovery; Role; Sensory; Side; Signal Transduction; Site; Songbirds; Speech; Speech Perception; Stereotyping; Stimulus; System; Taxon; Testing; Time; Work; awake; base; gamma-Aminobutyric Acid; indexing; male; memory process; memory recognition; neurophysiology; noradrenergic; novel; relating to nervous system; research study; response; social communication; sound; speech processing; vocalization; zebra finch

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The power of spoken language in communication is one of the defining adaptations of the human species, and it depends on the rapid production and perception of speech signals. Songbirds are the most easily studied of the few animal taxa that learn to produce vocal signals for social communication as humans do. Among songbirds, our knowledge of the zebra finch is most advanced. This application proposes to use the properties of auditory neurons in the songbird forebrain to investigate basic neural processes that serve discrimination and memory for auditory communication signals. Young male zebra finches learn their vocalizations from adult tutors through a process of imitation that resembles human speech acquisition. These vocalizations become stereotyped in adulthood and are unique to each individual, providing rich material for quantitative study of the brain processes that serve this natural communication system. Using neurophysiological recording in a forebrain auditory area, the caudo-medial nidopallium (NCM), the P.I. has demonstrated a neuronal form of recognition memory that lasts longer for conspecific than for heterospecific vocal sounds. These long-lasting memories discriminate the unique vocalizations of individual conspecifics, suggesting that NCM plays a special role in processing vocal signals. The significant acoustic and temporal features that distinguish sounds for NCM neurons can be assessed because, in this preparation, repeated presentation of a novel sound results in rapid, quantifiable decreases of the sensory response. When a different sound is presented, the response returns to its initial high level. This is a form of stimulus specific adaptation, reminiscent of similar processes described for the mammalian auditory cortex. The P.I. now proposes to record from NCM in awake zebra finches with advanced physiological methods, including acute and chronic multi-electrode recording, to determine 1) the detailed changes in neural response pattern that accompany memorization of a specific sound signal; 2) the temporal rules that govern the neural processing of more complex sounds composed of syllable sequences, as occurs in song; and 3) the way in which this auditory recognition and memory system is engaged during real-time interaction with conspecifics. The results will not only provide a quantitative description of auditory processing for behaviorally relevant signals in songbirds, but will also shed light on neural processes that link rapid sound sequences into recognizable auditory objects. This is a basic step in decoding speech, as well as song, so these studies may provide useful models for normal and pathological speech processing in humans.

描述（由申请人提供）：交流中口语的力量是人类物种的定义适应之一，它取决于言语信号的快速生产和感知。鸣禽是少数动物分类单元中最容易研究的，它们像人类一样为社交交流产生人声信号。在鸣禽中，我们对斑马雀的知识是最先进的。该应用程序建议使用鸣禽前脑中听觉神经元的属性来研究为听觉通信信号提供歧视和记忆的基本神经过程。年轻的男性斑马芬奇（Zebra Finches）通过类似于人类言语的模仿过程来了解成人导师的发声。这些发声在成年期变得定型，并且每个人都独有，为对这种自然通信系统服务的脑过程提供了丰富的材料。使用前脑听觉区域中的神经生理记录，caudo-Medial nidopallium（NCM），P.I。已经展示了一种神经元形式的识别记忆形式，其持续时间比异形声音更长。这些持久的记忆歧视了个体种族的独特发声，这表明NCM在处理声音信号中起着特殊的作用。可以评估区分NCM神经元声音的重要声学和时间特征，因为在此准备中，重复显示新的声音会导致感觉响应的快速，可量化的降低。当出现不同的声音时，响应返回到其初始高级。这是刺激特定适应的一种形式，让人联想到针对哺乳动物听觉皮层所描述的相似过程。 P.I.现在，提议从NCM中记录具有先进生理方法的清醒斑马雀，包括急性和慢性多电极记录，以确定1）伴随特定声音信号记忆的神经反应模式的详细变化； 2）控制着由音节序列组成的更复杂声音的神经处理的时间规则，如歌曲中所示； 3）在实时互动中与特定物的实时互动期间，这种听觉识别和内存系统的参与方式。结果不仅将提供有关鸣禽中与行为相关信号的听觉处理的定量描述，而且还将阐明将快速声音序列与可识别的听觉对象联系起来的神经过程。这是解码语音和歌曲的基本步骤，因此这些研究可能为人类的正常和病理语音处理提供有用的模型。