Neural coding of categorical auditory perception

将连续的刺激划分为类别是几种感觉模态的基本过程。范畴知觉涉及范畴标记和范畴辨别，在人类行为水平上，特别是在言语知觉的背景下，已经得到了广泛的研究。本文提出的研究将建立一个小鼠模型来研究听觉系统中分类记忆的神经编码。有幼鼠经验的成年小鼠将50 kHz中心频率附近的窄带宽（小于22.5 kHz）超声噪声信号明确感知为幼鼠隔离呼叫，从而促使搜索和检索丢失的幼鼠。另一方面，没有幼鼠经验的成年小鼠不会明确感知超声波。将通过在具有幼鼠经验的小鼠的听觉皮层中进行急性电生理学实验来研究分类听觉感受器的神经相关性。目的1建立如何自然幼犬的电话编码在不同的听觉皮层子字段，哪些子字段是最适合的自然呼叫的特点。目标2寻找分类知觉作为带宽函数的可能神经相关性，目标3将通过对比有幼鼠经历的小鼠与没有幼鼠经历的小鼠的神经编码来证实这一点。通过完成这些初步的研究，将奠定基础，为今后的工作，神经内分泌和Lneuromodulato机制的形成的分类记忆的遗传方法。

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.