Neural mechanisms of vocal communication in the human brain

 描述(申请人提供)：语音交流是人类生活的一个重要方面。这种复杂的行为需要整合说话过程中产生的听觉反馈，以优化正在进行的发声。当发声过程中发生的发声交流和必要的感觉运动整合受到损害时，就会产生重大的公共卫生负担。例如，人们认为口吃、失语症、精神分裂症和自闭症等疾病与感觉运动整合障碍有关。为了更好地治疗数百万患有这些常见疾病的美国人，有必要了解发声感觉运动大脑网络的功能组织。以前对其他物种的研究表明，发声有两个平行的系统--一个涉及前扣带回皮质(ACC)，另一个涉及喉运动皮质(LMC)。这些区域中每一个的功能以及它们之间的连通性在人类身上是未知的。我们将在人类神经外科患者中利用互补的实验技术来克服长期存在的研究进展障碍，并提高我们对ACC和LMC在声带感觉运动网络中作用的理解。我们的技术将包括功能脑成像(MRI)、高分辨率直接脑记录，以及通过脑刺激和降温对皮质功能进行可逆扰动，以定义ACC、LMC和听觉皮质发声相关的生理学。我们还将描绘这些地区之间的网络连接。这些技术将检验我们的假设，即ACC和LMC对于语音控制中涉及的预测编码和错误检测和纠正机制至关重要。据我们所知，这个数据将是第一个直接定义和测试人类ACC和LMC发声特定反应的数据。这些知识将提供使用其他技术无法获得的机械性见解，并将指导语音交流受损的新治疗方法的开发。

 DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Vocal communication is a vital aspect of human life. This complex behavior requires integration of the auditory feedback produced during speaking to optimize ongoing vocal production. Significant public health burden arises when vocal communication and the requisite sensorimotor integration occurring during vocalization are impaired. For example, diseases such as stuttering, aphasia, schizophrenia, and autism are felt to involve disordered sensorimotor integration. In order to develop better treatments for the millions of Americans suffering from these common diseases, it is necessary to understand the functional organization of the vocal sensorimotor brain network. Previous studies in other species suggest two parallel systems of vocal production- one involving anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and one involving the laryngeal motor cortex (LMC). The functions of each of these areas, and the connectivity between them, are not known in humans. We will utilize complementary experimental techniques in human neurosurgery patients to overcome long-standing barriers of research progress and improve our understanding of the role of ACC and LMC in the vocal sensorimotor network. Our techniques will include functional brain imaging (MRI), high-resolution direct brain recordings, and reversible perturbation of cortical function through brain stimulation and cooling to define ACC, LMC, and auditory cortical vocalization-related physiology. We will also delineate the network connectivity between these regions. These techniques will test our hypotheses that ACC and LMC are critical to predictive coding and error detection and correction mechanisms involved in vocal control. To our knowledge, this data will be the first of its kind to directly define and test human ACC and LMC vocalization-specific responses. Such knowledge will provide mechanistic insights that cannot be obtained using other techniques and will guide development of new treatments of impaired vocal communication.