SOMATOSENSORY THALAMOCORTICAL INTERACTIONS

描述：（研究者摘要）：研究将使用 交叉相关分析，以检查神经之间的相互作用 躯体感觉丘脑和皮层的控制皮肤刺激。 第一个实验将检验丘脑皮层细胞 从皮层中层比从皮层中层更有效地引起反应， 颗粒上或颗粒下层。 丘脑皮质层差异 有效性将对关于 皮质层之间的信息传递顺序。 一个相关 这一假设涉及到在大脑中丘脑皮质相互作用的强度， 水平皮质维度。 研究将衡量这方面的变化 参数，作为所述个体之间的躯体位置相似性/差异的函数， 丘脑和皮质。 最后一组研究旨在测试 假设丘脑活动导致受体皮层区域 抑制相邻的皮质柱。 最后，在每个实验中， 将特别注意检测是否存在 皮质丘脑的相互作用，并确定这些连接是否 增强或抑制丘脑反应性的功能。

DESCRIPTION: (Investigator's abstract): The studies will use cross-correlation analysis to examine neural interactions between the somatosensory thalamus and cortex during controlled cutaneous stimulation. The first experiment will test the hypothesis that thalamocortical cells elicit responses more effectively from middle cortical layers than from supra- or infragranular layers. Laminar differences in thalamocortical efficacy will have an important bearing on hypotheses regarding the sequence of information transmission between cortical layers. A related hypothesis concerns the strength of thalamocortical interactions in the horizontal cortical dimension. Studies will measure changes in this parameter as a function of somatotopic similarity/disparity between the thalamus and cortex. The last set of studies is designed to test the hypothesis that thalamic activity causes recipient cortical areas to inhibit neighboring cortical columns. Finally, in each of the experiments, special attention will be given to detecting the presence of corticothalamic interactions and determining whether these connections function to enhance or inhibit thalamic responsiveness.