Characterizing a Circuit Linking Auditory Cortical Systems and the Social Behavior Network

项目摘要/摘要 为了进行富有成效的社会互动，大脑必须协调复杂的社会感觉的处理 产生适当的社会反应的线索。对社会感官暗示的适当反应存在缺陷 是几种普遍的神经疾病的特征，包括额颞部痴呆和自闭症 谱系障碍。当复杂的社会信号(如视觉、听觉)在大脑皮层处理时，核团 控制社会行为(在脊椎动物中保存)，被称为社会行为网络(SBN)，存在于 主要在间脑。在研究大脑皮层感觉回路和脑功能方面取得了巨大进展。 SBN是分开的，但除了哺乳动物的嗅觉系统外，我们还缺乏关于 感觉皮层和SBN回路之间的信息是协调的。这些联系很可能是 对于富有成效的社交互动至关重要。这项培训计划的长期目标是 连接听觉皮质区域和SBN核团的电路的组成部分。将开展这项研究。 在鸣禽(特别是斑马雀；斑腿带喙鸟)中，这是实现该提案长期... 学期目标。斑马雀在丰富多样的社会环境中学习和运用复杂的发声方式。在……里面 鸣禽，复杂的社会发声诱导两个次级听觉的即刻早期基因标记 皮质区和SBN核。次级听觉皮质损伤损害发声识别和配对 偏好，这表明对社会核团的皮质输入在社会决策中起着关键作用。我有过 收集的初步数据显示，次级听觉皮质区域将投射发送到 鸟类皮质、内侧大脑皮层和以前的数据表明，内侧大脑皮层发出投射。 到几个SBN原子核。基于这些发现，这一建议假设皮质听觉区域 部分通过鸣禽皮质的这一区域向SBN核提供社会听觉输入，以 影响行为决策。我的提案的具体目标是通过测试来描述这条线路的特性 社会发声回放过程中听觉皮层区域的失活如何改变即刻早期基因 跨SBN核的测量，2)光遗传学识别和刺激突触连接 听觉皮质和内侧额叶，以及3)内侧额叶神经元对听觉- 自由活动动物的社会刺激。这项提议将是第一个表征听觉皮质-SBN的 脊椎动物的环路--连接听觉系统、神经科学和神经学研究的进展 社会行为的基础。社会感觉线索处理缺陷和参与社会行为的能力 是几种神经性疾病的特征。这项提案产生的结果将开辟新的 通过扩展大脑皮层之间协调的基本知识来研究这一重要功能的途径 感觉回路和社会行为核团。

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT To engage in productive social interactions, the brain must coordinate processing of complex social sensory cues with production of appropriate social responses. Deficits in appropriate responses to social sensory cues are a feature of several prevalent neurological disorders, including frontotemporal dementia and autism spectrum disorders. While complex social signals (i.e., visual, auditory) are processed in cortex, nuclei controlling social behaviors (conserved across vertebrates), called the social behavior network (SBN), lie mainly in the diencephalon. Tremendous progress has been made in studying cortical sensory circuits and the SBN separately but apart from mammalian olfactory systems we are lacking basic knowledge of how information is coordinated between sensory cortex and SBN circuits. These connections are very likely to be critical for productive social interactions. The long-term goal of this training proposal is to characterize components of a circuit connecting auditory cortical regions with SBN nuclei. This research will be carried out in songbirds (specifically, Zebra finches; Taeniopygia guttata), which are ideal for realizing the proposal's long- term goal. Zebra finches learn and employ complex vocalizations in a rich variety of social contexts. In songbirds, complex social vocalizations induce immediate early gene labeling in both secondary auditory cortical regions and SBN nuclei. Lesions of secondary auditory cortex impair vocal recognition and mate preference, suggesting that cortical inputs to social nuclei play key roles in social decision-making. I have gathered preliminary data showing that secondary auditory cortical regions send projections to a region of the avian cortex, the medial arcopallium, and previous data demonstrate the medial arcopallium sends projections to several SBN nuclei. Based on these findings, this proposal hypothesizes that cortical auditory regions provide SBN nuclei with social-auditory input in part through this arcopallial region of the songbird cortex to influence behavioral decisions. The specific aims of my proposal will characterize this circuit through 1) testing how inactivation of auditory cortical regions during playback of social vocalizations alters immediate early gene measurements across SBN nuclei, 2) optogenetically identifying and stimulating synaptic connections between auditory cortex and the medial arcopallium, and 3) testing selectivity of medial arcopallial neurons for auditory- social stimuli in freely moving animals. This proposal will be the first to characterize an auditory cortical -> SBN circuit in vertebrates by bridging progress made in auditory systems neuroscience and research in the neural basis of social behavior. Deficits in social sensory cue processing and the ability to engage in social behavior are features of several neurological disorders. The findings generated by this proposal will open up new avenues for research on this vital function by expanding basic knowledge of coordination between cortical sensory circuits and social behavior nuclei.