Organization and plasticity of auditory cortex studied with in vivo 2-photon calc

描述(申请人提供)：对言语和语言的感知需要初级听觉皮质的正常功能。许多障碍会导致言语和语言障碍，其中一些很可能会影响听觉皮质的连接和功能。因此，要了解这些缺陷是如何发展的，并设计出新的治疗方法，人们必须了解听觉皮质的功能。听觉皮质包含数以百万计的神经元，其中一个挑战是确定每个神经元对什么声音刺激做出反应，以及不同反应特性的神经元在听觉皮质中是如何组织的。我们的研究将揭示听觉皮质是如何组织的，以及复杂的声音刺激(如语音刺激)是如何在听觉皮质中表现出来的。通过使用先进的成像技术，我们将能够充分说明大脑皮层区域所有神经元的活动，从而能够更好地理解处理听觉输入的功能电路。通过研究发育期间和可塑性任务中的这些回路，我们将能够了解听觉皮质的回路是如何变化和成熟的。这是至关重要的信息，因为外周听觉处理的早期缺陷可能会导致大脑皮层回路的线路改变。为了能够纠正这些潜在的错误连接的电路，我们必须了解哪些电路在发育过程中存在，以及它们如何处理感觉信息。我们提出的实验为更好地理解听觉皮质奠定了基础，首次研究了听觉皮质的大规模组织和单细胞分辨率的可塑性。公共卫生相关性：对言语和语言的感知对人类交流至关重要。许多障碍会导致言语和语言障碍，其中一些很可能会影响听觉皮质的连接和功能。我们提出的实验为更好地理解听觉皮质奠定了基础，首次研究了听觉皮质的大规模组织和单细胞分辨率的可塑性。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The perception of speech and language requires normal functioning of the primary auditory cortex. Many disorders lead to speech and language disorders and it is likely that some affect the wiring and function of the auditory cortex. Thus to understand how these deficits develop and to devise novel treatment approaches one has to understand the function of the auditory cortex. The auditory cortex contains millions of neurons and one challenge has been to identify what sound stimulus every neuron is responsive to and how neurons of different response properties are organized in the auditory cortex. Our studies will uncover how auditory cortex is organized and how complex sound stimuli such as speech stimuli are represented in auditory cortex. By using advanced imaging technology we will be able to account fully for the activity of all neurons in a cortical region and thus will be able to better understand the functional circuitry that processes auditory inputs. By studying these circuits over the developmental period and during plasticity tasks we will be able to learn how the circuitry of auditory cortex is changing and maturing. This is crucially important information, since early deficits in peripheral auditory processing can lead to altered wiring of cortical circuits. To be able to correct these potentially miswired circuits we have to understand which circuits are present during development and how they process the sensory information. Our proposed experiments lay the fundamental groundwork for a better understanding of auditory cortex by studying for the first time the large-scale organization and plasticity of auditory cortex with single cell resolution. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The perception of speech and language are of crucial important for human communication. Many disorders lead to speech and language disorders and it is likely that some affect the wiring and function of the auditory cortex. Our proposed experiments lay the fundamental groundwork for a better understanding of auditory cortex by studying for the first time the large-scale organization and plasticity of auditory cortex with single cell resolution.