Cholinergic modulation of learning and learning related plasticity with event-related fMRI

该项目旨在研究神经递质乙酰胆碱(ACh)在学习过程中的作用以及人脑中与学习相关的可塑性。一个更一般的目标是在人类认知任务的背景下实施结合功能磁共振成像(FMRI)和药理学挑战。通过这种方法，将在一系列涉及事件相关fMRI的心理-药理学实验中解决以下问题：i)ACh在学习相关皮质可塑性中的作用；ii)胆碱能对学习早期阶段的贡献，如新颖性检测；iii)简单联想学习过程的胆碱能调节。此类实验的长期目标是提供一种实验方法，与研究神经损伤(如中风)和神经退行性疾病(如ALS阿尔茨海默病)患者的康复机制和治疗效果相关。

The project aims to investigate the role of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine (ACh) in processes of learning and learning related plasticity in the human brain. A more general aim is to implement combined functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) with pharmacological challenges in the context of cognitive tasks in humans. With such an approach the following questions will be addressed in a series of psycho-pharmacological experiments involving event-related fMRI: i) the role of ACh in learning related cortical plasticity ii) the cholinergic contribution to early stages of learning such as novelty detection iii) the cholinergic modulation of simple associative learning processes. A long-term goal of such experiments ist to provide an experimental approach that has relevance to studying mechanismes of recovery and treatment effects in patients with neurological damage, such as stroke, and neurodegenerative disease such als Alzheimers.