Development of functional somatosensory circuits in the human infant brain

我们的感官对于解释和与我们周围的世界互动至关重要。大脑中有专门的区域负责解码不同的刺激，使我们能够区分轻触、用力挤压或锋利的针。然而，在发育过程中，大脑如何获得这些能力以及何时获得这些能力仍不清楚。新生儿的大脑，尤其是早产儿的大脑，不仅是成年人大脑的缩小版，而且具有不同的结构和功能，可以以适应的方式每周都在变化。这些早期变化中的一些对于大脑的成熟是必要的，而另一些，特别是那些在早产时由并非自然发生在子宫内的刺激引起的变化，可能是有害的。我计划探索早产儿感觉功能的成熟。特别是，我将研究发育中的人类大脑，以了解我们通常如何学会感受不同的感觉，以及这是如何受到早产和随后的重症监护经历的影响的。这些结果将有助于对人类大脑发育的基本认识，并有助于建立确保早产儿大脑健康成熟的方法。

Our senses are essential for interpreting and interact with the world around us. The brain has specialised areas dedicated to decoding different stimuli and allowing us to distinguish between a light touch, a firm squeeze or a sharp needle. However, how the brain acquires these capabilities and when, during development, remains unclear. The brain of a newborn, especially if premature, is not merely a down-sized version of that of an adult, but has different structures and functions that can change week by week in an adaptable way. Some of these early changes are necessary for the maturation of the brain, while some, especially those caused in prematurity by stimuli that do not naturally occur in the womb, may be detrimental. I plan to explore the maturation of sensory functions in premature infants. In particular, I will study the developing human brain in order to understand how we normally learn to feel different sensations and, how this is affected by prematurity and subsequent experience in intensive care. The results will contribute to fundamental knowledge of the developing human brain and help to establish methods of ensuring healthy brain maturation in premature infants.