Cortical mechanisms of categorical perceptual learning

分类知觉学习的皮层机制

• 批准号: 8049039
• 负责人: Shaowen BAO
• 金额: $ 24.99万
• 依托单位: UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BERKELEY
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2008
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2008-04-01 至 2013-03-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/8049039
• 关键词: Acoustics; Animal Behavior; Animals; Auditory area; Behavior; Behavioral; Categories; Classification; Color; Communication; Complex; Computer Simulation; Computing Methodologies; Dimensions; Discrimination; Event; Goals; Hearing; Human; Language; Lead; Learning; Light; Maps; Music; Names; Neurons; Perception; Perceptual learning; Pilot Projects; Process; Property; Rattus; Research; Sensory; Sensory Process; Shapes; Speech; Speech Sound; Stimulus; Testing; Time; Training; Variant; Visual; base; experience; improved; insight; neuromechanism; public health relevance; response; sensory stimulus; sensory system; sound

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): While sensory stimuli may vary continuously along their physical dimensions, the behaviorally significant events that they represent are often discrete. To represent those discrete events, the sensory system needs to map the continuous stimulus spaces into discrete sensory percepts. Lights of gradually changing wavelength, for instance, are perceived as having discrete hues/colors. This phenomenon is named categorical perception. The neural mechanisms underlying categorical perception are unknown. Categorical perception can be acquired through perceptual training. We proposed to investigate how categorical perceptual learning alters sensory processing in the auditory cortex to elucidate the mechanisms of categorical perceptual learning. Previous studies have shown that sensory experience enlarges cortical representations of the experienced stimuli and shapes categorical perception of the stimuli. Our pilot computational analyses further indicate that stimuli with enlarged cortical representations may be categorically perceived. Based on these results, we propose to test the hypothesis that enlarged cortical representation is a mechanism for categorical sound perception. The long-term goal of the proposed research is to understand the neural mechanisms underlying categorical sound representation and learning. Specifically, we propose to (1) train animals in perceptual discrimination and categorization tasks and determine how the training contribute to categorical sound representations, (2) electrophysiologically examine the auditory cortex of the behaviorally trained animals and quantify learning-induced plasticity effects, and (3) determine using computational methods how the observed cortical plasticity effects would impact perceptual behaviors, which will then be compared with the behavioral learn shown by the animals. The proposed research will provide insights into the complex processes of sensory categorization. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Being able to categorize sensory information is vital for our speech communication, music appreciation and visual recognition. The proposed research aims at understanding how we learn to categorize new sensory information. The results of the proposed research will shed new light on how to improve learning.

描述（由申请人提供）：虽然感官刺激可能沿着其物理维度连续变化，但它们所代表的行为上的重要事件通常是离散的。为了表示这些离散事件，感觉系统需要将连续刺激空间映射为离散的感官知觉。例如，波长逐渐变化的光被感知为具有离散的色调/颜色。这种现象称为分类知觉。分类感知背后的神经机制尚不清楚。分类知觉可以通过知觉训练获得。我们提议研究分类感知学习如何改变听觉皮层的感觉处理，以阐明分类感知学习的机制。 先前的研究表明，感官体验扩大了所经历刺激的皮层表征，并形成了对刺激的分类感知。我们的试点计算分析进一步表明，具有扩大的皮质表征的刺激可以被明确地感知。基于这些结果，我们建议检验以下假设：扩大的皮质表征是分类声音感知的机制。拟议研究的长期目标是了解分类声音表示和学习背后的神经机制。具体来说，我们建议（1）在感知辨别和分类任务中训练动物，并确定训练如何有助于分类声音表征，（2）从电生理学角度检查经过行为训练的动物的听觉皮层并量化学习引起的可塑性效应，以及（ 3）使用计算方法确定观察到的皮质可塑性效应将如何影响感知行为，然后将其与动物表现出的行为学习进行比较。拟议的研究将为感官分类的复杂过程提供见解。 公共卫生相关性：能够对感官信息进行分类对于我们的言语交流、音乐欣赏和视觉识别至关重要。拟议的研究旨在了解我们如何学习对新的感官信息进行分类。拟议研究的结果将为如何改善学习提供新的思路。