The Neural Circuitry of Tooth Sensation: Contribution of Additional Sensory Modalities and Plasticity Following Tooth Loss

项目总结/摘要 永久性牙齿脱落在美国是一个严重的健康问题。大约25%的60岁以上的成年人 和老年人的牙齿完全脱落。此外，在35-44岁的成年人中，近70%的人失去了 至少有一颗恒牙，预计仍有许多人失去牙齿 稳定在900万左右。由于与之相关的不利影响，减少牙齿脱落， 2000年，将65岁以上的成年人不到20%列为国家健康目标。永久性丧失 天然牙齿会对个人的饮食和营养产生负面影响，并会大大降低生活质量， 自我形象牙齿脱落还直接影响基本的日常功能，包括言语和咀嚼， 感觉反馈改变或缺失。尽管如此，牙列的感觉加工仍然是不完全的 尽管牙齿是人类最重要的神经系统之一， 通常会丢失解剖结构（通过创伤、疾病或有目的的移除）。这种不完全 对牙齿感觉的神经处理的理解严重阻碍了牙齿感觉的发展。 新的策略旨在减少牙齿脱落的负面影响，并促进从持久的 经常会出现的衰弱效应。 日常功能，如语言和咀嚼，依赖于区分和组合来自多种感官的线索， 立即使用这些模式，以引导准确的感知并驱动适当的行为反应。的 目前的建议将是第一次审查：1）如何多种感官形式（触觉，听觉和视觉） 在神经元水平上整合，以增强与颅面和牙周相关的感觉知觉 输入，以及2）牙齿脱落后多感觉神经回路如何重组。首先我们要表演 牙周和颅面（触觉）投射到大脑皮层的详细电生理映射 动物模型。这种皮层映射将比较神经元对单独触觉刺激的反应与 涉及多感官刺激组合（即，多于一种感觉模态，例如触觉+听觉）。 其次，我们将研究拔牙导致的多感觉皮层重组。总之， 这些研究将提供深入了解：1）神经生理学基础的牙齿和颅面感觉 感知，2）额外的感觉方式在牙齿和颅面感觉中的作用，以及3） 神经可塑性由牙齿正常感觉输入的丧失引起，影响那些患有 永久性牙齿缺失这些对牙齿感觉理解的根本性进展对于 推动未来数据驱动的新型治疗策略，旨在减少牙齿脱落的负面影响， 促进牙齿脱落的恢复，最终改善大部分人的牙齿、口腔和颅面健康。 美国人口的比例。

Project Summary/Abstract Permanent tooth loss is a significant health issue in the United States. Approximately 25% of adults 60 years and older have had complete tooth loss. In addition, nearly 70% of adults between the ages of 35-44 have lost at least one permanent tooth, with the number of individuals suffering from tooth loss projected to remain stable at approximately 9 million. Because of the detrimental effects associated with it, reducing tooth loss to <20% of adults over the age of 65 became a national health objective in the year 2000. Loss of permanent natural teeth negatively affects an individual’s diet and nutrition, and can substantially reduce quality of life and self-image. Tooth loss also directly impacts essential daily functions including speech and chewing due to altered or absent sensory feedback. Despite this, sensory processing of dentition remains incompletely understood, as does neural plasticity following tooth loss, despite the fact that teeth are one of the most commonly lost anatomical structures (through trauma, disease, or purposeful removal). This incomplete understanding of the neural processing that underlies tooth sensation critically impedes the development of novel strategies aimed at reducing the negative impact of tooth loss, and enhancing recovery from the lasting debilitating effects which often follow. Daily functions such as speech and chewing rely on distinguishing and combining cues from multiple sensory modalities at once in order to guide accurate perception and drive appropriate behavioral responses. The current proposal would be the first to examine: 1) how multiple sensory modalities (tactile, auditory, and visual) are integrated at the neuronal level to enhance sensory perception related to craniofacial and periodontal inputs, and 2) how multisensory neural circuits are reorganized following tooth loss. First, we will perform detailed electrophysiological mapping of periodontal and craniofacial (tactile) projections to the cerebral cortex of animal models. This cortical mapping will compare neuronal responses to tactile stimuli alone vs. responses to multisensory stimulus combinations (i.e., more than one sensory modality, such as tactile + auditory). Second, we will examine the multisensory cortical reorganization that results from tooth extraction. Altogether, these studies will provide insight into: 1) the neural physiology underlying dental and craniofacial sensory perception, 2) the role that additional sensory modalities play in dental and craniofacial sensation, and 3) the neural plasticity caused by the loss of normal sensory inputs from the teeth that affects those suffering from permanent tooth loss. These fundamental advances in the understanding of tooth sensation are essential for driving future data-driven, novel therapeutic strategies aimed at reducing the negative impact of tooth loss, and enhancing recovery from tooth loss, ultimately improving dental, oral, and craniofacial health in a large proportion of the U.S. population.