Functional Organization of Auditory Cortex

描述(申请人提供)：本研究计划的长期目标是全面描述人类听觉皮质组织。它的结构组成是什么，它们的功能是什么？这些要素是如何共同作用来产生听觉的感知体验的？当前的基本概念是由一组相互关联的大脑皮层区域组成的区域性(模块化)组织系统，但对人类来说，涉及的区域数量和它们的联系是未知的。人类听觉皮质的可测试工作模型还没有被开发出来，尽管这样的模型是研究其他物种听觉皮质的基础。为了建立这个模型，将使用详细的神经解剖学分析来揭示组成大脑这一部分的潜在结构。这方面的努力将集中在颞叶上叶的临时平面上，该区域被认为是整合感知和解释声音所需的神经代码的重要区域。尽管通常被视为一个单独的区域，但颞平面似乎包含几个在解剖学和生理学上截然不同的区域。将在死后获得颞叶，并对其进行加工，以获得神经元、轴突、神经细丝和关键酶的标记蛋白。将根据几种测量(表面积、皮质厚度、神经元密度、光密度)来描绘和比较区域。这项研究将以其他灵长类动物的比较研究为指导和基础，这些研究将继续为人类听觉皮质的研究提供宝贵的基础。此外，对猴子的平行研究将重点放在与人类颞叶平面相对应的后颞叶的连接和神经元反应特性上。这项研究的相关性广泛适用于涉及颞叶的患者群体，并直接支持涉及正常人群和临床人群的相关领域的研究。这些包括：1)研究人脑听觉活动的非侵入性方法(例如功能成像)；2)与手术、损伤或相关病理相关的功能的神经外科规划和评估(例如脑血管意外、肿瘤)；3)评估听觉处理或记忆受到影响的临床人群的皮质功能(例如阿尔茨海默氏症、精神分裂症、自闭症、阅读障碍、癫痫、语言延迟、听力障碍和衰老)；以及4)在正常和临床人群中对听觉皮质的成熟和基因组研究。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The long-term goal of this research program is a comprehensive description of human auditory cortex organization. What are its structural components and what are their functions? How do these elements work together to produce the perceptual experience of hearing? Underlying current conceptions is a regional (modular) system of organization formed by an interconnected group of cortical areas, but the number of areas involved and their connections are unknown for humans. A testable working model of human auditory cortex has not been developed, even though such models are fundamental to studies of auditory cortex in other species. To establish this model, detailed neuroanatomical analyses will be used to reveal the underlying structures that comprise this part of the brain. Efforts will focus on the planum temporale in the superior temporal lobe, which is thought to be an important region for integrating the neural codes required to perceive and interpret sound. Although often treated as a single area, the planum temporale appears to contain several areas that are anatomically and physiologically distinct. Temporal lobes will be obtained postmortem and processed for marker proteins of neurons, axons, neurofilaments, and key enzymes. Areas will be profiled and compared on the basis several measurements (surface area, cortical thickness, neuron density, optical density). The research will be guided and grounded by comparative studies of other primates, which continue to provide an invaluable foundation for studies of auditory cortex in humans. In addition, parallel studies in monkeys will focus on the connections and neuron response properties in the posterior temporal lobe that correspond to the human planum temporale. The relevance of this research applies broadly to patient populations in which the temporal lobe is involved, and directly supports related areas of research involving both normal and clinical populations. These include: 1) Noninvasive methods to study auditory activity in the human brain (e.g., functional imaging); 2) Neurosurgical planning and assessment of function associated with surgery, injury, or related pathology (e.g., cerebrovascular accidents, tumors); 3) Evaluation of cortical function in clinical populations in which auditory processing or memory is affected (e.g., Alzheimer's, schizophrenia, autism, dyslexia, epilepsy, language delay, hearing impairment, and aging); and 4) Maturational and genomic studies of auditory cortex in normal and clinical populations.