Study of Plastic Changes Induced by Associative Learning in The Auditory Cortex Using Optical Imaging and Their Neural Mechanisms

本研究的目的是阐明基于联想学习的记忆是如何在皮层中记录和保留的，以及保留在皮层中的记忆在提取时是如何在皮层中时空表征的。本文用光学成像技术研究了听觉皮层在经典条件反射作用下的可塑性变化，结果发现，听觉皮层对条件反射频率的反应区在短期训练后扩大。此外，在条件反射之后，仅仅呈现一个没有任何声音的脚电击就成功地引发了听觉皮层的活动，这意味着听觉信息可以在电击脚的基础上被提取出来。

The purpose of this study is to clarify how a memory based on associative learning is recorded and retained in the cortex, and moreover how a memory retained in the cortex is spatio-temporally represented in the cortex when it is retrieved. The plastic changes in the guinea pig auditory cortex induced by a classical conditioning, through pairing a sound with an electric foot-shock, were investigated using an optical imaging, as a result, it was found that the response area to the frequency used for the conditioning enlarged after the short term training. Moreover, after conditioning, the mere presentation of a foot-shock without any sound succeeded in eliciting activity in the auditory cortex, implying that auditory information could be retrieved on the basis of an electric foot-shock.