Multi-channel electrophysiological neuron recording system

最近的一项重大发现是，猕猴的大脑中有一个区域可以与人类大脑中的布罗卡区相媲美。人类大脑中的布罗卡区对语言产生至关重要。因此，在非语言猕猴的大脑中存在着一个对语言至关重要的大脑区域的同源物，这就提出了需要研究的关于语言进化的主要问题。这一发现也开启了研究自主发声和口面脑回路的神经生理学的可能性。在以前的研究中，我们在猕猴大脑中建立了整个神经回路（即与布罗卡区同源物相关的其他大脑区域），因此，我们现在可以记录这些区域中的神经元活动，这些神经元活动是在语音和面部动作的指导和生产过程中进行的。这项设备资助申请要求多通道电生理记录系统，使我们能够同时记录从多个地区的声乐/orofacial生产皮层电路，从而获得深入了解自愿声乐和orofacial电机生产的神经机制。

A major discovery made relatively recently has been that the brain of the macaque monkey has an area that is comparable to Broca's area in the human brain. Broca's area in the human brain is critical for speech production. Thus, a homologue of the brain area that is critical for speech exists in the non-linguistic macaque monkey brain raising major questions about the evolution of language that require examination. This finding also opens up the possibility of studying the neurophysiology of the voluntary vocal and orofacial brain circuit. In previous research, we established the entire neural circuit (i.e. other brain areas linked with Broca's area homologue) in the macaque monkey brain and, therefore, we can now record neuronal activity in these areas during the instruction and production of vocal and orofacial acts. This equipment grant application requests a multichannel electrophysiological recording system to enable us to record simultaneously from multiple areas in the vocal/orofacial production cortical circuit and thus obtain deep insights into the neural mechanisms of voluntary vocal and orofacial motor production.