Encoding of vocal Signals in the Auditory System

听觉系统中声音信号的编码

• 批准号: 6792625
• 负责人: ANDREW H BASS
• 金额: $ 35.72万
• 依托单位: CORNELL UNIVERSITY
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 1974
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 1974-09-01 至 2006-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/6792625
• 关键词: animal communication behavior; auditory discrimination; auditory feedback; auditory pathways; behavioral /social science research tag; fish; neural information processing; psychoacoustics; reproduction; vocalization

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The central goal of the research proposed here is to understand how the vertebrate auditory system is able to recognize and interpret an enormous repertoire of species-typical vocal communication signa's. Sound communication is not unique to humans, but rather is a trait shared with many non-mammalian vertebrates. The focus here is on sound producing! vocalizing teleost fish that provide model systems to identify the basic principles of neural operation that have lead to the evolution of the complex auditory system of mammals, including humans. Vocalizing teleosts have a simple repertoire of species-typical signals central to their social and reproductive behavior. These signals can be easily reproduced and individuals produce stereotyped behavioral responses to playbacks of natural or computer-synthesized signals. Teleosts also have a central auditory system resembling that of terrestrial vertebrates including mammals. We propose that the plainfin midshipman fish (Porichthys notatus) has the vocal and acoustic behaviors, and underlying neural encoding mechanisms and circuitry, both necessary and sufficient to solve acoustic problems that challenge all vertebrates. Midshipman fish, in particular, produce advertisement and agonistic vocalizations with highly divergent physical attributes. Males acoustically court females using hums that are long duration (secs-l h) and exhibit an essentially flat envelope consisting of a low fundamental frequency (90-100 Hz) and several harmonics. In contrast, males also emit agonistic signal with envelope modulations, namely brief (50-200 ms) grunts at intervals of 2-3 Hz (grunts have FOs like hums). Envelope modulations are also introduced when the hums of two males overlap to produce an acoustic beat with a small difference frequency (0-8 Hz) determined by the difference in the two FOs. Behavioral studies show that individual midshipman distinguish hums from non-hums (beats and grunt-hke pulse trains) based on signal duration, silent gaps between signals and the degree of envelope modulation. Three specific aims will investigate how auditory mechanisms provide a neural basis for the behavioral categorization of hums from non-hums. Aim 1 uses physiological measures (spike rate and synchronization) and stimuli that mimic natural vocalizations to investigate brainstem encoding mechanisms for categorizing acoustic signals as either hums or non-hums. Aim 2 will couple these neurophysiological measures with extracellular and intracellular dye labeling to delineate the functional circuitry of the neurons identified in Aim 1. Aim 3 will investigate seasonal, reproductive state-dependent plasticity responsible for differential processing in the peripheral and central auditory systems.

描述（由申请人提供）：这里提出的研究的核心目标是了解脊椎动物听觉系统如何能够识别和解释物种典型的声音通信Signa的巨大曲目。声音交流不是人类独有的，而是与许多非哺乳动物脊椎动物共享的特质。这里的重点是声音生产！发声鱼类的鱼类提供模型系统，以确定神经操作的基本原理，从而导致包括人类在内的哺乳动物的复杂听觉系统的演变。发声的硬骨鱼具有一个简单的物种典型信号，这是其社会和生殖行为中心的核心。这些信号可以很容易地复制，并且个人对自然或计算机合成信号的播放产生刻板印象的行为响应。硬骨鱼还具有一个类似于包括哺乳动物在内的陆生脊椎动物的中央听觉系统。我们建议平原中期船员鱼（Porichthys Notatus）具有声带和声学行为，以及潜在的神经编码机制和电路，这都是必要和足够的，足以解决挑战所有脊椎动物的声学问题。尤其是Midshipman Fish具有高度不同的物理属性的广告和激动的发声。雄性在听觉上使用长持续时间（secs-l h）的嗡嗡声，表现出基本平坦的信封，由低基本频率（90-100 Hz）和几种谐波组成。相比之下，雄性还以包膜调制发出激动信号，即以2-3 Hz的间隔（50-200毫秒）的咕unt声（50-200毫秒）（咕unt声都像嗡嗡声一样）。当两名男性的嗡嗡声重叠以产生一个由两个FOS差异确定的差异频率（0-8 Hz）的声学节拍时，还会引入包膜调制。行为研究表明，单个中级船员将嗡嗡声与信号持续时间，信号和信封调制程度之间的无声缝隙区分开嗡嗡声与非幽默（Beats和Grunt-Hke脉搏列车）区分开。三个具体目标将研究听觉机制如何为非幽默的嗡嗡声提供神经基础。 AIM 1使用生理措施（尖峰速率和同步）和模仿自然发声的刺激来研究脑干编码机制，以将声学信号分类为嗡嗡声或非幽默。 AIM 2将将这些神经生理学测量与细胞外染料标记相结合，以描绘AIM 1中鉴定的神经元的功能电路。AIM3将研究负责季节性的，生殖状态依赖性的可塑性，负责外围和中央听觉系统中的差异处理。