FUNCTIONAL ARCHITECTURE OF MONKEY PREFRONTAL CORTEX

前额叶皮层（PFC）区域明显扩大， 在灵长类动物的大脑中分化，似乎是专门为 某些复杂认知功能的中介作用。此外，多个 一系列证据表明，PFC可能是功能障碍的部位， 人类神经精神疾病的结构病理学，例如 精神分裂症，破坏高级认知功能。了解 PFC功能障碍在精神分裂症病理生理学中的可能作用 需要了解正常状态下存在的神经元 在PFC中，它们的特点和内在作用 PFC的组织，以及由此产生的功能 建筑影响着他人的活动，也受到他人活动的影响。 大脑区域。 为了解决这些问题，我们计划描述内在的 灵长类PFC的兴奋性连接，使用猕猴作为 一个人类的模型锥体神经元，皮质神经元的主要类别 传出神经元，也引起局部轴突侧支， 主要贡献者的传播皮层内兴奋性 活动这些侧枝延伸了相当长的距离 水平地，并提供有规律分布的终端集群 场，在猴子PFC中，似乎是以晶格结构排列的 具有独特的条纹状外观。在拟议的研究中，我们希望 以定义该晶格结构的精确三维几何形状，以及 它与其他兴奋和抑制回路模式的关系。 然而，了解其功能特性， 目前，皮质内回路依赖于 在其他皮质区域进行的电生理学研究，或 物种，其功能结构可能是实质性的 与灵长类PPC不同。因此，我们开发了一个 为了提供详细的猴PFC体外切片制备 有关生物物理学和突触微生理学的信息 猴子PFC的内在连接性。 实验策略的结果，从结构和 电生理学方法，允许测试特定的 关于灵长类PFC功能回路的假说。

The prefrontal cortical (PFC) regions are markedly expanded and differentiated in the primate brain, and appear to be specialized for the mediation of certain complex cognitive functions. In addition, multiple lines of evidence suggest that the PFC may be a site of dysfunction or structural pathology in human neuropsychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia, that disrupt higher cognitive functions. Understanding the possible role of PFC dysfunction in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia requires knowledge, in the normal state, of the neural elements present in PFC, their distinguishing features and roles in the intrinsic organization of PFC, and of the manner in which the resultant functional architecture influences, and is influenced by, the activity of other brain regions. In order to address these issues, we plan to characterize the intrinsic excitatory connections of the primate PFC, using the macaque monkey as a model of the human. Pyramidal neurons, the major class of cortical efferent neurons, also give rise to local axon collaterals which are major contributors to the propagation of intracortical excitatory activity. These collaterals extend for a considerable distance horizontally, and furnish regularly distributed clusters of terminal fields, which in monkey PFC, appear to be arrayed in a lattice structure with a unique stripe-like appearance. In the proposed studies, we wish to define the exact 3-dimensional geometry of this lattice structure, and its relation to other patterns of excitatory and inhibitory circuitry. However, understanding the functional characteristics of this intracortical circuitry depends, at present, upon extrapolations from electrophysiological studies conducted in other cortical regions or species, whose functional architecture is likely to be substantially different from that of primate PPC. Consequently, we have developed an in vitro slice preparation of monkey PFC in order to provide detailed information on the biophysics and synaptic microphysiology of the intrinsic connectivity of monkey PFC. The power of the proposed experimental strategy results from the integration of structural and electrophysiological approaches which permit the testing of specific hypotheses about the functional circuitry of primate PFC.