Impact of Somatosensory Input in Auditory Processing

家长格兰特探索了这一发现，即A1后面的一个或多个经典听觉联想皮质区域是多感觉汇聚的地点，因为它们也对躯体感觉刺激以及声音做出反应。这一令人惊讶的发现驳斥了一种流行的观点，即多感官整合仅限于专门的、更高层次的“联想”结构。它还涉及到一个基本问题，即听觉和躯体感觉系统是否像视觉通路所建议的那样，有“什么”和“哪里”的划分。解剖学示踪研究，结合麻醉猴子的标准多单位/单单位标测程序和清醒猴子的多电极研究，将解决1.躯体感觉表征与先前定义的听觉领域的关系。2.体感输入的解剖来源(S)。3.听觉-体感共同表征的功能意义。本FIRCA项目将对上述第3条进行补充分析。我们将讨论1)在听觉皮质的躯体感觉输入的生理影响，针对由父母赠款确定的体感来源位置2)听觉皮质的躯体感觉接收区域和体感输入来源之间的等级关系，以及3)通过解剖重建特定目标1确定的选定的体感“输入”和听觉“接收”位置对之间的投影来扩展生理发现。

The Parent Grant explores the finding that one or more regions of classic auditory association cortex posterior to A1 are sites of multisensory convergence, in that, they respond to somatosensory stimuli, as well .as sounds. This surprising finding disputes a prevailing view that multisensory integration is confined to specialized, higher order "association" structures. It also bears on the fundamental question of whether auditory and somatosensory systems have "what" and "where" divisions like those proposed for the visual pathways. Anatomical tracer studies, in conjunction with standard multiunit/single unit mapping procedures in anesthetized monkeys and with multielectrode studies in awake monkeys will address 1. the relationship of somatosensory representation to previously defined auditory fields. 2. the anatomical source(s) of somatosensory input. 3. the functional significance of auditory-somatosensory co- representation. This FIRCA Project will conduct an analysis supplementary to number 3 above. We will address 1)the physiological impact of somatosensory input in auditory cortex, targeting somatosensory source sites identified by the parent grant 2) the hierarchial relationships between somato-recipient regions of auditory cortex and the somatosensory input sources and 3) expansion of physiological findings by anatomical reconstruction of the projections between selected somatosensory "input" and auditory "recipient" site pairs identified by Specific Aim 1.