MODULATION OF NEURONAL RESPONSES IN SOMATOSENSORY CORTEX

描述(改编自《抽象》)：触觉物体识别 需要将注意力转移到在 探索和短期存储感知属性以进行比较 以及后来的手法所产生的感觉。要理解这一点 过程中，这位首席调查员建议进行研究，以检查 皮质区域和哪些神经反应模式与选定的 触摸对象的属性处理。来自这些的发现 研究可能有助于触觉假体的设计和训练 康复策略。在这些实验中，人类和猴子必须 区分一个触觉属性的值，通常是在 另一个属性，以实现最佳性能。目标#1：调查者 建议从初级躯体感觉皮层(SI)的单个细胞进行记录 猴子被选择性地提示以检测不同的听觉音调组合 上的振幅模式和并发的振动触觉振幅模式 手或手指。对于第二个目标，他建议从SI中的单个单元格进行记录 和猴子的第二躯体感觉区(SII)选择性地提示到以下之一 两个人同时呈现出振动刺激的触觉特征。线索 通知猴子注意频率的变化(例如，测试更高的刺激 或低于标准)或持续时间(例如，比标准更长或更短)。 为了达到目标3，研究人员提出了一项使用正电子进行的神经成像研究 人体的发射断层扫描(PET)受触觉属性的影响。提示通知 受试者要注意频率或振动持续时间的变化，如在AIM中 #2或直接注意表面粗糙度或表面长度的变化。 对于不同的扫描，受试者选择性地注意到一个提示属性或 将他们的注意力分散到两个属性上。目标#4：调查者 建议用单神经元记录猴子的SI和SII区 涉及学习的配对关联的延迟匹配任务 触觉栅格或介于视觉和触觉栅格之间。在这件事上有争议 研究是记忆样本刺激是否调节对加工的反应 或不匹配的触觉刺激，以及这些影响对于 模式内和跨模式的信息传输。

DESCRIPTION (adapted from the Abstract): Tactile object recognition requires shifts of attention to features touched sequentially during exploration and short-term storage of perceived attributes for comparisons with the sensations produced by later manipulations. To understand this process, this Principal Investigator proposes studies to examine which cortical areas and what neural response patterns are related to selected processing of the attributes of touched objects. Findings from these studies may contribute to the design of tactile prostheses and training strategies for rehabilitation. In these experiments humans and monkeys must discriminate the value of one tactile attribute, often in the presence of another attribute, for optimal performance. For Aim #1 the Investigator proposes recording from single cells in primary somatosensory cortex (SI) in monkeys selectively cued to detect different combinations of auditory tone amplitude patterns and concurrent vibrotactile amplitude patterns on the hand or fingers. For Aim #2 he proposes recording from single cells in SI and second somatosensory area (SII) of monkeys selectively cued to one of two simultaneously presented tactile features of a vibratory stimulus. Cues inform monkeys to attend to changes in frequency (e.g., test stimulus higher or lower than standard) or duration (e.g., longer or shorter than standard). For Aim #3 the Investigator proposes a neuroimaging study using Positron Emission Tomography (PET) in humans cued to tactile attributes. Cues inform subjects to attend to changes in frequency or vibration duration as in Aim #2 or to direct attention to changes in surface roughness or surface length. For different scans subjects attend selectively to one cued attribute or divide their attention between two attributes. For Aim #4 the Investigator proposes recording from single neurons in SI and SII of monkeys doing a delayed-matching task that involves learned paired-associations between tactile gratings or between visual and tactile gratings. At issue in this study is whether remembering sample stimuli modulates responses to machining or non-matching tactile stimuli and whether these effects differ for intra-modal and cross-modal information transfers.