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）：虽然感觉刺激可能会沿其物理维度不断变化，但它们代表的行为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的刺激空间映射到离散的感觉知觉中。例如，逐渐改变波长的灯被认为具有离散色调/颜色。这种现象被称为分类感知。分类感知的神经机制尚不清楚。可以通过感知培训获得分类感知。我们建议研究分类感知学习如何改变听觉皮层中的感觉处理，以阐明分类感知学习的机制。 先前的研究表明，感觉经验扩大了经验丰富的刺激和形状的皮质表示。我们的试点计算分析进一步表明，具有扩大皮质表示的刺激可能会被绝对感知。基于这些结果，我们建议检验以下假设：扩大皮层表示是分类声音感知的机制。拟议的研究的长期目标是了解分类声音表示和学习的神经机制。具体而言，我们建议（1）培训动物在感知歧视和分类任务中，并确定训练如何有助于分类声音表示，（（2）电生理学研究行为训练的动物的听觉皮层并量化学习诱导的可塑性效应，并使用计算方法来确定相关的塑料效果，以表现出塑料的效果。拟议的研究将提供有关感官分类过程的复杂过程的见解。 公共卫生相关性：能够对感官信息进行分类对于我们的语音交流，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会分类新的感官信息。拟议的研究结果将为如何改善学习提供新的启示。