Functional approach to communication sound processing in mouse auditory cortex

项目概述：本研究的长期目标是了解哺乳动物听觉皮层如何处理和学习社会交流声音。提出了一种小鼠模型，用于在小鼠幼崽和成年雌性小鼠之间的自然交流环境中研究这种情况。我们使用先进的定量方法来评估听觉皮层中的神经元可以提供哪些信息来促进这些声音的检测、区分和分类。提出了3个具体目标。首先，我们将检验这样一个假设，即声音具有交流性的动物与声音不具有交流性的动物所代表的声音是不同的。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这些交流声音信息的能力。第三，我们研究了听觉皮层处理这些声音的空间组织。在小鼠模型中研究这些问题，为将来使用遗传方法来解剖涉及通信声音处理的机制提供了机会。相关性：这项研究将提高我们对大脑如何检测、区分和分类交流声音的理解。这些任务是人类如何感知和处理语音的基础。因此，这项研究可能最终帮助我们确定正常的神经处理是如何在说话的个体中崩溃的

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.