Neural coding of categorical auditory perception

在几种感觉模式中，将刺激的连续体划分为类别是一个基本过程。范畴知觉既涉及范畴标注，又涉及辨别，在人类行为层面，尤其是在言语知觉的背景下，已经得到了广泛的研究。这里提出的研究将开发一个小鼠模型来研究听觉系统中类别知觉的神经编码。有幼崽经历的成年小鼠明确地感觉到50 kHz中心频率附近的窄带宽(小于22.5 khz)超声噪声信号，这是幼鼠隔离的呼唤，促使搜索和找回丢失的小鼠幼崽。另一方面，没有幼崽经验的成年小鼠不会明确地感知到超声波。通过在有幼鼠经验的小鼠的听觉皮质中进行急性电生理学实验，将研究范畴知觉的神经关联。目的1建立自然幼犬叫声在不同听觉皮层亚区的编码方式，以及哪些子区最适合自然叫声的特征。目标2寻找类别知觉作为带宽函数的可能的神经关联，目标3将通过比较有幼崽经历的小鼠和没有经历过幼崽的小鼠的神经编码来证实这一点。通过完成这些初步研究，将为未来利用遗传学方法研究范畴知觉形成的神经内分泌和神经调节机制奠定基础。

The division of a continuum of stimuli into categories is a fundamental process in several sensory modalities. Categorical perception, which involves both category labeling and discrimination, has been researched extensively at the behavioral level in humans, especially in the context of speech perception. The research proposed here would develop a mouse model to study the neural coding of a categorical percept in the auditory system. Adult mice experienced with pups categorically perceive narrow bandwidth (less than 22.5 kHz) ultrasound noise signals near a 50 kHz center frequency as pup isolation calls, prompting a search and retrieval for lost mouse pups. On the other hand, adult mice that do not have experience with pups do not categorically perceive ultrasounds. The neural correlate of the categorical percept will be studied by performing acute electrophysiology experiments in the auditory cortex of mice that have experience with pups. Aim 1 establishes how natural pup calls are coded in the different auditory cortical subfields, and which subfields are best adapted to the characteristics of natural calls. Aim 2 searches for a possible neural correlate of the categorical perception as a function of bandwidth, and Aim 3 would confirm this by contrasting the neural coding in mice experienced with pups to those who are not. By completing these initial studies, a foundation will be laid for future work into the neuroendocrine and Lneuromodulato mechanisms underlying the formation of the categorical percept using genetic methods.