Functional approach to communication sound processing in mouse auditory cortex

描述（由申请人提供）：项目概述：本研究的长期目标是了解哺乳动物听觉皮层如何处理和学习社会交流声音。提出了一种小鼠模型，用于在小鼠幼仔和成年雌性小鼠之间的自然交流背景下调查这一点。我们使用先进的定量方法来评估听觉皮层中的神经元可以提供哪些关于这些声音的信息，这些信息将有助于它们的检测，辨别和分类。提出了三个具体目标。首先，我们将检验这样一个假设：对那些声音具有交流性的动物来说，它们对声音的表征不同于那些声音不具有交流性的动物。其次，我们将研究哪些神经反应特性有助于提高神经元提供有关这些通信声音的信息的能力。第三，我们研究了处理这些声音的听觉皮层的空间组织。在小鼠模型中研究这些问题为将来利用遗传学方法剖析交流声音处理机制提供了机会。相关性：这项研究将提高我们对大脑如何检测、区分和分类交流声音的理解。这些任务对于人类如何感知和处理语音至关重要。因此，这项研究可能最终帮助我们确定正常的神经处理是如何在有语言能力的个体中被破坏的。 听力问题。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Project Summary: The long-term goal of this research is to understand how the mammalian auditory cortex processes and learns social communication sounds. A mouse model is proposed for investigating this in a natural communication context between mouse pups and adult female mice. We used advanced quantitative methods to evaluate what information neurons in the auditory cortex can provide about these sounds that will facilitate their detection, discrimination and categorization. 3 specific aims are proposed. First, we will test the hypothesis that animals for whom the sounds are communicative represent the sounds differently from those for whom the sounds are not communicative. Second, we will look at what neural response properties help to improve a neuron's ability to provide information about these communication sounds. Third, we investigate the spatial organization of the auditory cortex for processing these sounds. Researching these questions in a mouse model provides the future opportunity to use genetic methods to dissect the mechanisms involved in communication sound processing. Relevance: This study will improve our understanding of how the brain detects, discriminates and categorizes communication sounds. These tasks are fundamental to how humans perceive and process speech. Thus, this research may eventually help us determine how normal neural processing breaks down in individuals with speech hearing problems.