Listening in noise, clutter, and reverberant environments - central effects of aging and approaches to remediation

项目1 该项目的重点是老年性听力损失（AHRL，老年性耳聋），这是一种因年龄而引起的广泛疾病 听觉通路的沿着相关变化。在阐明外围变化方面已经取得了很大进展， 但是中枢神经系统中与年龄相关的变化仍然很大程度上未知。该项目围绕 假设大脑皮层可塑性在维持老年人有效听觉功能中发挥有效作用， 通过对抗减少的突触抑制和重新连接的抑制回路。该项目描述了一系列 行为和神经生理学/成像实验在老年动物，探索生理和 行为相关的ARHL，并提出实验来测试如何皮质可塑性可以直接对抗 了在追求这些目标的过程中，结合了行为、神经生理和成像方法， 描述老年动物在噪音中的语音编码，并描述大脑皮层的可塑性， 增强年轻人在噪声中语音感知的鲁棒性在老年人中是无效的。该项目随后 继续研究随着年龄增长而失败的细胞机制，并通过可塑性开发治疗策略 由认知功能的参与引起的。该项目利用许多技术来实现其目标， 作为单单元记录、被动和行为动物体内双光子成像以及体外电路 映射方法。该项目的最终目标是制定补救干预措施和适应性培训 来逆转一些与年龄有关的变化。 1

Project 1 Abstract The focus of this project is Age-related hearing loss (AHRL, presbyacusis), a widespread condition due to age related changes along the auditory pathway. Great strides have been made elucidating the peripheral changes, but age related changes in the central nervous system remain largely unknown. The project revolves around the hypothesis that cortical plasticity can play an effective role in maintaining effective auditory function in old age, by countering diminished synaptic depression and rewired inhibitory circuits. The project describes a series of behavioral and neurophysiological/imaging experiments in aged animals, which explore the physiological and behavioral correlates of ARHL and propose experiments to test how cortical plasticity could be directed to counter it. In pursuit of these goals, behavioral, neurophysiological, and imaging approaches are combined to characterize the encoding of speech in noise in aged animals and characterize how cortical plasticity which enhances the robustness of speech perception in noise in the young is inefficient in the aged. The project then goes on to study the cellular mechanisms that fail with age, and develop therapeutic strategies through plasticity induced by engagement of cognitive functions. The project exploits many technologies to achieve its goals such as single-unit recordings, in vivo 2-photon imaging in passive and the behaving animals and in vitro circuit mapping approaches. The final aim of the project is to develop remedial interventions and adaptive training procedures to reverse some of the age-related changes. 1