Neural basis of tactile object perception in SI cortex

 描述（由申请人提供）：本提案的目标是研究非人类灵长类动物初级体感皮层的手和手指区域内的组织和电路。手和手指行为是灵长类动物行为中物体识别的定义方面，并且是不同类型的工具使用，打字，发短信和肢体语言的核心。尽管如此，关于感觉（触觉和本体感受）处理的不同阶段的皮层回路知之甚少。该提案将使用多种解剖学和功能方法来发现初级躯体感觉区（3a，3b，1和2）的手部表示中功能柱之间的区域内和区域间连接模式。这些方法将包括解剖道追踪和功能道追踪（在局灶性电刺激和脉冲近红外激光刺激期间使用光学成像和功能磁共振成像）。这些电路在行为过程中的作用将被检查。这些研究将提供宝贵的数据，将感官指导纳入手动运动假肢，目前在这方面的了解很少。

 DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The goal of this proposal is to investigate the organization and circuitry within the hand and digit region of primary somatosensory cortex in nonhuman primates. Hand and digit behavior are defining aspects of object identification in primate behavior, and are central to different types of tool use, typing, texting, and body language. Despite this, little is known regarding the cortical circuitry underlying different stage of sensory (tactile and proprioceptive) processing. This proposal will use multiple anatomical and functional approaches to discover the intra-areal and inter-areal connectivity patterns between functional columns in the hand representation of primary somatosensory areas (3a, 3b, 1, and 2). These approaches will include anatomical tract tracing and functional tract tracing (using optical imaging and fMRI during focal electrical and pulsed near infrared laser stimulation). The role of these circuits during behavior will be examined. These studies will provide invaluable data for incorporation of sensory guidance in manual motor prosthetics, an area in which there is currently little understanding.