Spectral and Temporal Integration in the Auditory System

这项研究的总体目标是阐明神经元活动与 听觉功能具体来说，我们感兴趣的是（1）什么是人类和非人类的心理物理能力， 人类受试者在整合声音的频谱和时间特征，以及（2）如何听觉皮层 单神经元响应与通过心理物理性能测量的这种能力有关。 将对人类和非人类受试者进行心理物理测量， 来区分时间上或频谱上复杂的声音。然后，我们将记录来自非- 人类受试者在辨别心理物理学实验中使用的声音时。为了一个目标，我们 我将研究振幅调制作为声音持续时间和AM频率的函数， 研究复杂声谱。使用信号检测理论的新修改，我们将确定 神经元的辨别能力，以及单个神经元的放电是否更接近 与声音的物理属性或心理学判断有关。这些结果将 提供了单神经元生理功能和心理物理性能之间的关键直接联系。 这些数据将增加关于中风创伤引起的皮质破坏的影响的知识，以及其他 大脑退化性疾病对听力的影响此外，这项研究应有助于了解 时间声学处理，这似乎与阅读障碍和其他 发育障碍因此，这些结果对于理解和治疗 中风和发育障碍。实现这三个目标将使我们能够严格评估：（1）如何 听觉中枢神经系统对频谱和时间信息进行整合和组合。

The general goal of the proposed research is to illuminate the relationship between neuronal activity and auditory function. Specifically we are interested (1) what are the psychophysical abilities of human and non- human subjects in integrating spectral and temporal features of sounds, and (2) how do auditory cortical single neuron responses relate to this ability as measured through psychophysical performance. Psychophysical measurements will be made from human and non-human subjects to determine their ability to discriminate temporally or spectrally complex sounds. We will then record single unit responses from non- human subjects while they discriminate sounds used in the psychophysical experiments. For one aim, we will investigate amplitude modulation as a function of sound duration and AM frequency and for the other aim investigate complex sound spectra. Using novel modifications of signal detection theory, we will determine the discriminative capabilities of neurons, and whether the firing of individual neurons is more closely associated with the physical attributes of sound or to the pscyhophysicaljudgement. These results will provide critical direct links between single neuron physiological function and psychophysical perfrormance. This data will add knowledge about the effects of cortical disruptions due to strokes trauma, and other degenerative diseases of the brain on hearing. Additionally, this study should add to the understanding of temporal acoustical processing which appears related to many of the effects of dyslexia and other developmental disorders. These results accordingly are of potential use for understanding and treating strokes and developmental disorders. Achieving the three aims will allow us to rigorously assess: (1) how spectral and temporal information is integrated and combined by the auditory central nervous system.