LEARNING-INDUCED CORTICAL REPRESENTATIONAL PLASTICITY

描述（改编自申请人摘要）：长期目标 这项研究是为了了解大脑皮层是如何获取和储存 信息，这可能导致神经生物学干预适应不良 思维和行为，以及发育和衰老中的学习障碍。 虽然大脑皮层是目前为止人类大脑最大的部分 它是一个帮助学习和记忆的主要结构， 由于需要皮层记忆的动物模型而被忽视。 然而，最近的研究表明，听觉皮层的发展， 恐惧时单个细胞频率调谐的记忆样变化 学习，称为“感受野可塑性”。 这种神经可塑性 联想性，高度特异性，快速获得并无限期保留， 就像人类记忆的主要形式。 皮质下恐惧的皮质控制 中心是已知的，但不被理解。 该项目的具体目标是 以确定整体功能的性质和程度， 听觉皮层的组织与恐惧学习和记忆有关。 该研究项目的具体目标是提供第一个 全面调查学习在多大程度上改变了 空间表示的行为相关的声频在 初级听觉皮层 豚鼠将接受纯音训练， 习惯化、敏感化、经典和工具性条件反射。 此外，发育和长期保持（周），以及发育的程度， 将描述塑性的可逆性。 神经生物学基础 恐惧条件反射，这是获得性焦虑，恐惧症和 其他行为病理学，需要直接研究细胞 机制，因为药物治疗可以减少诱发， 这些情绪的表达，但不能消除其原因。

DESCRIPTION (Adapted from applicant's abstract): The long-term objective of this research is to understand how the cerebral cortex acquires and stores information, which can lead to neurobiological interventions in maladaptive thought and behavior, and impaired learning in development and aging. Although the cerebral cortex is by far the largest part of the human brain and is a major structure that subserves learning and memory, it has been neglected because of the need for animal models of cortical memory. However, recent studies have established that the auditory cortex develops memory-like changes in the frequency tuning of individual cells during fear learning, termed "receptive field plasticity". This neural plasticity is associative, highly specific, rapidly acquired and retained indefinitely, like major forms of human memory. Cortical control of subcortical fear centers is known but not understood. The specific aims of this project are to determine the nature and extent to which the overall functional organization of the auditory cortex is involved in fear learning and memory. The specific goal of this research project is to provide the first comprehensive investigation of the extent to which learning modifies the spatial representation of behaviorally relevant acoustic frequencies in the primary auditory cortex. Guinea pigs will be trained with pure tones in habituation, sensitization, classical, and instrumental conditioning. Further, the development and long term retention (weeks), and the degree of reversibility of plasticity will be delineated. The neurobiological bases of fear conditioning, which is basic to acquired anxieties, phobias and other behavioral pathologies, requires direct investigation of cellular mechanisms because pharmacological treatments can reduce the elicitation and expression of these emotions but not eliminate their cause.