Studies of the central auditory system

这项研究将探讨中枢神经系统在听觉感知中的作用，以及对复杂声音的时间特征的辨别。沿着从耳朵到听觉皮层的听觉通路定位的神经回路对于识别与环境事件或包括人类语音的物种特异性通信信号相关联的复杂声音是重要的。外侧丘系腹侧核（VNLL）是听觉通路中的主要神经元集合，被认为参与处理复杂声音的时间特性。本研究将探讨VNLL中的神经元如何有助于分析声音的时间特征。我们将记录生理反应，从单个神经元在大鼠的VNLL，同时应用药理学药物的细胞，以确定其突触化学调节听觉反应的特点。 我们还将检查在听觉通路的其他地方的细胞的响应特性，而在VNLL的活动被药物应用或神经细胞的局部损伤所阻断。这些研究将使我们能够确定VNLL对中枢听觉处理的功能贡献。此外，我们将进行行为研究，以确定VNLL的损伤如何影响听力和动物根据其时间结构区分声音的能力。这些研究将揭示声音的复杂特征是如何通过神经回路处理的，并通过中枢听觉系统内的神经活动来表示。实验结果也将对理解人类耳聋和中枢听觉处理障碍产生重要影响。

The proposed research will examine the role of the central nervous system in auditory perception and the discrimination of temporal features of complex sounds. Neural circuits located along the auditory pathway from the ear to auditory cortex are important for the identification of complex sounds associated with environmental events or species-specific communication signals including human speech sounds. The ventral nucleus of the lateral lemniscus (VNLL) is a major collection of neurons in the auditory pathway that is thought to be involved in processing temporal properties of complex sounds. This research project will examine how the neurons in the VNLL contribute to the analysis of temporal features of sounds. We will record physiological responses from single neurons in the rat's VNLL while applying pharmacological agents to the cells to determine how their synaptic chemistry regulates auditory response characteristics. We will also examine the response properties of cells elsewhere in the auditory pathway while activity in the VNLL is blocked by either drug application or local damage of nerve cells. These studies will allow us to determine the functional contribution of the VNLL to central auditory processing. In addition, we will conduct behavioral studies to determine how damage to the VNLL affects hearing and the ability of animals to distinguish sounds based on their temporal structure. The studies will shed light on how complex features of sounds are processed by neural circuits and represented by neural activity within the central auditory system. The outcome of the experiments will also have important implications for understanding deafness and central auditory processing disorders in humans.