Cellular and Synaptic Physiology of Auditory Processing

听觉处理的细胞和突触生理学

• 批准号: 7107951
• 负责人: Claudio V Mello
• 金额: $ 3.44万
• 依托单位: OREGON HEALTH & SCIENCE UNIVERSITY
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2005
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2005-07-01 至 2008-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/7107951
• 关键词: auditory pathways; behavioral /social science research tag; behavioral habituation /sensitization; brain morphology; communication behavior; corpus striatum; electrophysiology; experience; immunocytochemistry; learning; memory; neural information processing; neural plasticity; neurophysiology; songbirds; stimulus /response; verbal behavior; vocalization; voltage /patch clamp

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This FIRCA proposal is for a collaborative research project between Dr. Ricardo M. Leao, of the Department of Physiology, School of Medicine of Ribeirao Preto, Sao Paulo, Brazil, and Dr. Claudio Mello of the Neurological Sciences Institute at the Oregon Health and Science University in Portland Oregon. Dr. Mello's NIH Grant (R01- DC02853; Gene regulation in auditory learning}, is the parent grant to this proposal. This proposal is concerned with brain circuits involved in the auditory processing of song in songbirds, more specifically the circuitry organization of the caudomedial neostriatum (NCM) in the zebra finch. The long-term goal is to elucidate the involvement of NCM in vocal communication and vocal learning. The proposed research objectives are to understand how the song processing circuits in NCM are functionally organized and whether and how these circuits are modified by experience. NCM is a major area within the auditory processing pathways of songbirds, comparable to portions of the auditory cortex of mammals. NCM neurons show robust electrophysiological responses to song and a long-lasting, stimulus- specific decrease ("habituation") of these responses upon repeated presentations of the same stimulus. This experience- dependent plasticity in NCM is a major candidate for a mechanism involved in song auditory memories. In addition, NCM neurons show marked song-induced expression of the transcription factor zenk. The established link between zenk and neuronal plasticity in mammals suggests that zenk expression in NCM is associated with synaptic plasticity in NCM circuitry. However, the information on the cellular and synaptic physiology of NCM required for testing hypotheses on the functions of NCM and song-induced zenk expression is currently not available. The proposed experiments will use electrophysiological recordings in slices in combination with morphological, tract-tracing, and immunocytochemical analysis to determine the circuit organization of NCM and to evaluate whether the habituation of NCM to song involves changes in the properties of the neuronal cells that constitute song auditory processing circuits in NCM. Results from the proposed study will contribute to our understanding of how auditory processing circuits for learned vocalizations are organized and modified by experience. Because birdsong is a learned vocal behavior, these studies will potentially help us understand how humans acquire speech, as well as possible mechanisms involved in certain speech and language disorders.

描述（由申请人提供）：该 FIRCA 提案是巴西圣保罗 Ribeirao Preto 医学院生理学系的 Ricardo M. Leao 博士和神经病学系的 Claudio Mello 博士之间的合作研究项目位于俄勒冈州波特兰市的俄勒冈健康与科学大学科学研究所。梅洛博士的 NIH 资助（R01-DC02853；听觉学习中的基因调节}）是该提案的家长资助。 该提案涉及鸣禽听觉处理中涉及的大脑回路，更具体地说是斑胸草雀尾内侧新纹状体（NCM）的回路组织。长期目标是阐明 NCM 在声乐交流和声乐学习中的参与。拟议的研究目标是了解 NCM 中的歌曲处理电路在功能上是如何组织的，以及这些电路是否以及如何根据经验进行修改。 NCM 是鸣禽听觉处理通路中的一个主要区域，相当于哺乳动物听觉皮层的一部分。 NCM 神经元对歌曲表现出强烈的电生理反应，并且在重复出现相同刺激后，这些反应会出现持久的、刺激特异性的减少（“习惯化”）。 NCM 中这种依赖于经验的可塑性是歌曲听觉记忆机制的主要候选者。此外，NCM 神经元表现出明显的歌曲诱导的转录因子 zenk 表达。 zenk 和哺乳动物神经元可塑性之间已建立的联系表明，NCM 中的 zenk 表达与 NCM 回路中的突触可塑性相关。然而，目前还没有测试 NCM 功能和歌曲诱导的 zenk 表达的假设所需的 NCM 细胞和突触生理学信息。 拟议的实验将使用切片电生理记录结合形态学、束追踪和免疫细胞化学分析来确定 NCM 的回路组织，并评估 NCM 对鸣叫的习惯是否涉及构成鸣叫的神经元细胞特性的变化。 NCM 中的听觉处理电路。拟议研究的结果将有助于我们理解习得发声的听觉处理电路是如何根据经验进行组织和修改的。由于鸟鸣是一种习得的发声行为，这些研究将有可能帮助我们了解人类如何获得言语，以及某些言语和语言障碍所涉及的可能机制。