THE ORGANIZATION OF POSTERIOR PARIETAL CORTICAL AREAS INVOLVED IN DEXTEROUS BEHA

这个子项目是许多研究子项目中的一个 由NIH/NCRR资助的中心赠款提供的资源。子项目和 研究者（PI）可能从另一个NIH来源获得了主要资金， 因此可以在其他CRISP条目中表示。所列机构为 研究中心，而研究中心不一定是研究者所在的机构。 后顶叶皮层区域在所有哺乳动物中都很重要，包括人类，用于导航和操纵环境中的物体。我们建议表征和比较大鼠的后顶叶皮层，以便以后与其他哺乳动物物种（例如，负鼠、松鼠、雪貂和浣熊），它们中的每一种都具有与特定用途相关的独特前肢形态。本研究的目的是：1）使用电生理技术确定位于大鼠躯体感觉区和视觉区之间的后顶叶皮层的功能组织; 2）使用神经解剖示踪剂结合结构技术确定这些区域的皮质和丘脑皮质连接的完整范围。 我们在大鼠身上的研究结果将有助于理解其他物种的组织，因为所有哺乳动物大脑的组织都受到发育限制的严格控制。详细了解这些大脑区域在哺乳动物物种中是如何组织的，将使我们能够更好地了解这些重要的大脑区域如何管理与周围物体的相互作用。这些研究将为涉及实验性损伤的进一步行为研究奠定基础，这将为直接与中风或创伤性脑损伤受害者进行比较提供有用的数据。 拟议的研究将允许学生在中央阿肯色州大学和国家毒理学研究中心的神经生物学实验室学习;并将在我的主要本科机构和一个联邦实验室之间建立合作，在INBRE的保护伞下，从而有助于促进在代表性不足的机构中进行特殊生物医学研究的关键目标。

This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. Regions of posterior parietal cortex are important in all mammals, including humans, for navigating through, and manipulating objects in, their environment. We propose to characterize and compare the posterior parietal cortex of rats for later comparison with other mammalian species (e.g., opossum, squirrel, ferret, and raccoon), each of which has distinct forelimb morphology related to specific use. The aims of this study are 1) to determine the functional organization of posterior parietal cortex located between somatosensory and visual regions in rats using electrophysiological techniques, and 2) to determine the full extent of corticocortical and thalamocortical connections of these areas using neuroanatomical tracers combined with architectonic techniques. Our results in rats will be relevant to understanding the organization of other species because the organization of all mammalian brains is tightly governed by developmental constraints. A detailed understanding of how these brains areas are organized across mammalian species will allow us to better understand how these important brains regions that govern interactions with objects in the surroundings may be organized in humans. These studies will lay the groundwork for further behavioral studies involving experimental lesions, which will provide useful data for direct comparison to victims of stroke or traumatic brain injury. The proposed research will allow students to study in neurobiology laboratories at both the University of Central Arkansas and the National Center for Toxicological Research; and will establish collaborations between my primarily undergraduate institution and a federal laboratory, within the umbrella of INBRE, thus contributing to the crucial objective of promoting exceptional biomedical research in underrepresented institutions.