Somatosensory Cortical Influences on Subcortical Processing

描述（由申请人提供）：使用体感觉系统作为模型系统，我们计划将神经元示踪剂注射到大鼠的双侧感觉运动皮层中，以验证双侧皮质纹状体和皮质桥重叠最大的假设，这些假设来自代表双侧协调的近端身体部位的MI部位的投影。在猫的实验中，我们将向运动和体感觉皮层注射神经元示迹剂，以验证来自SI和SII的皮质孔顶区投射比皮质纹状体投射更能促进整合的假设。在这个项目的后半部分，我们将同时记录体感觉皮层的多个神经元以及新纹状体和脑桥的神经元。我们将验证新纹状体神经元主要在接收到相关（即神经元）的同步输入时放电的假设。（相互连接的）躯体感觉皮层的皮质区域。我们还将验证一个假设，即刺激诱导的体感神经元反应与脑桥的反应比新纹状体的反应更密切相关。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Using the somatosensory system as a model system, we plan to inject neuronal tracers bilaterally into rat sensorimotor cortex to test the hypothesis that bilateral corticostriatal and corticopontine overlap is greatest for projections from MI sites representing proximal body parts that are bilaterally coordinated. In cats, we will inject neuronal tracers into motor and somatosensory cortex to test the hypothesis that corticopontine projections from SI and SII enable more integration than corticostriatal projections. In the last half of this project we will record multiple neurons in somatosensory cortex simultaneously with neurons in the neostriatum and the pons. We will test the hypothesis that neostriatal neurons discharge mainly when they receive synchronous inputs from related (ie., interconnected) cortical areas in somatosensory cortex. We will also test the hypothesis that stimulus-induced neuronal responses somatosensory are more strongly correlated with responses in the pons than in the neostriatum. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Substantial evidence indicates that the basal ganglia and pontocerebellar systems are responsible for sensorimotor integration and related cognitive processes. By using anatomical tracing methods in combination with sensory stimulation, we will elucidate the circuit mechanisms that mediate sensory processing and will gain valuable insights about the operation of these circuits for processing cognitive information. The potential clinical importance of this work is underscored by the fact that the neural circuits in the basal ganglia and pontocerebellar systems have been implicated in several neurologic disorders including Parkinson's disease, Huntington's chorea, Tourette's syndrome, and other sensorimotor problems.