Corticostriatal Influences on Neostriatal Processing

描述（由申请人提供）：新纹状体和基底神经节的相关部分包含功能通道，分别处理从大脑皮层接收的前额叶、边缘系统、眼神经和感觉运动信息。虽然激活每个功能通道的特定皮层区域是不同的，但每个通道都包含相同的基本输入-输出连接模式。通过使用皮肤刺激激活皮质纹状体投射从体感皮层，我们可以表征的模式识别特性的新纹状体神经元，并确定如何在感觉运动通道的神经活动是协调在感觉刺激。因此，这种模式提供了一个独特的机会，了解规则，支配动态运作的皮质纹状体电路在所有功能通道，因为没有公认的方法直接激活边缘系统或前额叶通道在一个控制，自然的方式。 新纹状体的解剖学和生理学特性代表了当代神经科学中的一个重要问题，因为该脑区域与帕金森病、亨廷顿舞蹈病、图雷特综合征和精神分裂症有关。在本项目中，我们将使用顺行追踪方法来测试以下假设：初级和次级体感皮质区中的相应代表向新纹状体发送会聚投射。我们还将使用逆行追踪技术来验证以前的结果表明，皮质纹状体的投射从体感皮层有一个各向异性的组织。我们还将比较皮质纹状体和皮质桥脑投射，以确定皮质桥脑投射是否遵循与皮质纹状体系统相同的组织原则（即，皮质邻近性、躯体位置同源性和行为协同性原理）。最后，我们将记录大脑皮层和新纹状体多个部分的神经元活动，以便我们可以分析皮层和新纹状体之间的神经元相互作用。这些生理学研究将确定新纹状体神经元的主要功能是否是检测功能相关皮层区域之间的同步活动。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The neostriatum and related parts of the basal ganglia contain functional channels that separately process prefrontal, limbic, oculomotor, and sensorimotor information received from the cerebral cortex. Although the specific cortical areas that activate each functional channel are different, each channel contains the same basic input-output pattern of connections. By using cutaneous stimuli to activate corticostriatal projections from somatosensory cortex, we can characterize the pattern recognition properties of neostriatal neurons and determine how neural activity in the sensorimotor channel is coordinated during sensory stimulation. Hence, this paradigm presents a unique opportunity for understanding the rules that govern the dynamic operation of corticostriatal circuits across all functional channels because there are no accepted methods for directly activating limbic or prefrontal channels in a controlled, naturalistic manner. The anatomic and physiologic properties of the neostriatum represent a significant issue in contemporary neuroscience because this brain region has been implicated in Parkinson's disease, Huntington's chorea, Tourette's syndrome, and schizophrenia. In this project we will use anterograde tracing methods to test the hypothesis that corresponding representations in the primary and secondary somatosensory cortical areas send convergent projections to the neostriatum. We will also use retrograde tracing techniques to verify previous results indicating that corticostriatal projections from somatosensory cortex have an anisostropic organization. We will also compare corticostriatal and corticopontine projections to determine if the corticopontine projections follow the same principles of organization that have been identified in the corticostriatal system (ie. Principles of Cortical Proximity, Somatotopic Homology, and Behavioral Cooperativity). Finally, we will record neuronal activity in multiple parts of the cerebral cortex and neostriatum so that we may analyze neuronal interactions between the cortex and neostriatum. These physiology studies will determine whether a primary function of neostriatal neurons is to detect synchronized activity among functionally-related cortical areas.