LEARNING-INDUCED CORTICAL REPRESENTATIONAL PLASTICITY

描述(摘自申请者摘要)：长期目标 这项研究是为了了解大脑皮层是如何获取和存储 信息，这可能导致对适应不良的神经生物学干预 思想和行为，以及发育和衰老过程中的学习障碍。 尽管到目前为止大脑皮层是人类大脑中最大的部分 是学习和记忆的主要结构，它一直是 因为需要大脑皮层记忆的动物模型而被忽视。 然而，最近的研究已经证实，听觉皮质发育 恐惧时单个细胞频率调谐的记忆样变化 学习，被称为“接受场可塑性”。这种神经可塑性是 联想，高度具体，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，但不是被理解的。这个项目的具体目标是 以确定总体功能的性质和程度 听觉皮质的组织与恐惧学习和记忆有关。 本研究项目的具体目标是提供第一个 对学习在多大程度上改变 行为相关声频的空间表示 初级听觉皮质。豚鼠将接受纯音训练 习惯化、敏感化、古典化和工具性条件作用。 此外，发育和长期保持(周)，以及程度 可塑性的可逆性将被描绘出来。神经生物学基础 恐惧条件作用，这是后天焦虑、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引诱和 表达这些情绪，但不能消除它们的起因。

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.