Functional approach to communication sound processing in mouse auditory cortex

描述(申请人提供)：项目摘要：这项研究的长期目标是了解哺乳动物的听觉皮质是如何处理和学习社交声音的。在幼鼠和成年雌性小鼠之间的自然交流环境中，提出了一个小鼠模型来研究这一问题。我们使用先进的定量方法来评估听觉皮质中的神经元可以提供哪些关于这些声音的信息，这些信息将有助于检测、辨别和分类它们。提出了三个具体目标。首先，我们将测试一种假设，即声音对动物来说是可交流的，而声音对动物来说不同于那些声音不能交流的动物。其次，我们将研究哪些神经反应特性有助于提高神经元提供有关这些交流声音的信息的能力。第三，我们研究了处理这些声音的听觉皮质的空间组织。在老鼠模型中研究这些问题，为未来利用遗传学方法剖析交流声音处理机制提供了机会。相关性：这项研究将提高我们对大脑如何检测、辨别和分类交流声音的理解。这些任务是人类感知和处理语音的基础。因此，这项研究最终可能会帮助我们确定正常的神经处理是如何在有语言障碍的人身上发生的 听力有问题。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Project Summary: The long-term goal of this research is to understand how the mammalian auditory cortex processes and learns social communication sounds. A mouse model is proposed for investigating this in a natural communication context between mouse pups and adult female mice. We used advanced quantitative methods to evaluate what information neurons in the auditory cortex can provide about these sounds that will facilitate their detection, discrimination and categorization. 3 specific aims are proposed. First, we will test the hypothesis that animals for whom the sounds are communicative represent the sounds differently from those for whom the sounds are not communicative. Second, we will look at what neural response properties help to improve a neuron's ability to provide information about these communication sounds. Third, we investigate the spatial organization of the auditory cortex for processing these sounds. Researching these questions in a mouse model provides the future opportunity to use genetic methods to dissect the mechanisms involved in communication sound processing. Relevance: This study will improve our understanding of how the brain detects, discriminates and categorizes communication sounds. These tasks are fundamental to how humans perceive and process speech. Thus, this research may eventually help us determine how normal neural processing breaks down in individuals with speech hearing problems.