PSYCHOBIOLOGY AND NEUROETHOLOGY OF SEXUAL SIGNALING

性信号的心理生物学和神经行为学

• 批准号: 2445417
• 负责人: HOWARD Carl GERHARDT
• 金额: $ 9.39万
• 依托单位: UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI-COLUMBIA
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 1994
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 1994-07-01 至 1999-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/2445417
• 关键词: Anura; behavioral /social science research tag; biological models; biological signal transduction; ethology; geographic site; instinct; microelectrodes; neural information processing; neurophysiology; polyploidy; psychoacoustics; psychobiology; sex behavior; sound; vocalization

The overall goal of the proposed research program is to gain knowledge about basic mechanisms and evolution of acoustic communication systems in vertebrates, using frogs as a model system. Frogs do not rely on acoustic experience to produce or to recognize species-specific communication signals, and they can be studied using genetic-developmental and neurophysiological techniques that would be difficult or impossible to apply in higher vertebrates. This research will provide insights into fundamental mechanisms of the neural processing and evolution of complex, temporal patterns of the acoustical signaling that mediates sexual responsiveness and mate recognition. Analogous sounds form basic elements of the human speech code that are recognized by human infants with little prior exposure to human language. The proposed research will thus address issues concerning the biological bases of the inborn neural specificity for species-typical patterns that are later modified in higher animals by experience. The normal development and maintenance of speech communication have an obvious and critical bearing on human mental health. The main study species will be treefrogs that communicate by stereotyped signals in which the most important biologically relevant information is encoded in temporal patterns. These include the repetition rate and shape of sound pulses, which identify the species and are also geographically specific, and call duration and repetition rate, which are used by females for intraspecific mate choice. Behavioral studies will determine the relative importance of these temporal properties in determining the overall effectiveness of a signal in eliciting phonotactic responses from female frogs. The neurophysiological methodology will include recordings of neural responses in freely moving, behaving animals. The evolutionary aspects of acoustic communication by temporal codes will be addressed by studying the selective and genetic bases of geographical variation in both male signals and female selectivity for these signals. Finally, behavioral, anatomical and neurophysiological studies of artificially produced polyploid frogs will provide insights into the possible mechanisms that gave rise to different temporal codes and parallel selectivity for those codes in a pair of cryptic diploid-tetraploid treefrog species. The release time made possible by an RSA will permit the P.I. to devote nearly full time effort to basic research, to lead a research team composed of undergraduates, graduate students and postdoctoral researchers, and to form collaborative arrangements with other neuroethologists. The Division of Biological Sciences of the University of Missouri has a strong commitment to basic research in neurobiology and neuroethology that is manifest in recent and planned recruitment of new faculty in this area.

拟议的研究计划的总体目标是获得知识 关于水声通信系统的基本原理和发展 脊椎动物，使用青蛙作为模型系统。青蛙不依赖于声学 产生或识别特定物种通信的经验 信号，它们可以用遗传发育和 神经生理学技术将是困难或不可能的 适用于高等脊椎动物。这项研究将为 复合体的神经处理和进化的基本机制， 调控性交配的声音信号的时间模式 响应性和配偶认可度。相似的声音构成基本要素 由人类婴儿识别的人类语音代码的 事先接触过人类语言。因此，拟议的研究将解决 关于先天神经专一性生物学基础的几个问题 对于物种-在高等动物中后来被修改的典型模式 经验。语音通信的正常发展与维护 对人类的心理健康有着明显而关键的影响。 主要的研究物种将是通过刻板印象进行交流的树蛙 其中最重要的生物相关信息是 以时间模式编码。这些参数包括重复频率和形状 声音脉冲，它识别物种，也是地理上的 女性使用的特定、通话时长和重复率 用于种内配偶选择。行为研究将确定 这些时间属性在确定 信号在诱发发音反应中的整体有效性 雌性青蛙。神经生理学方法论将包括录音 自由活动、行为正常的动物的神经反应。进化论 通过时间码进行声学通信的各个方面将通过 两者地理变异的选择和遗传基础研究 雄性信号和雌性对这些信号的选择性。最后， 人工脑损伤的行为学、解剖学和神经生理学研究 培育出的多倍体青蛙将提供对可能的 产生不同时态代码和并行的机制 一对隐蔽的二倍体-四倍体中这些密码的选择性 树蛙物种。 RSA使释放时间成为可能，这将允许P.I.致力于 几乎全职致力于基础研究，领导研究团队 由本科生、研究生和博士后组成 研究人员，并与其他人形成协作安排 神经行为学家。加州大学生物科学系 密苏里州坚定地致力于神经生物学和基础研究 神经行为学，体现在最近和计划中的新员工招募 这一领域的教员。