Coding of auditory space in the avian brain

鸟类大脑听觉空间的编码

基本信息

批准号：
8305642
负责人：
Jose L Pena
金额：
$ 34.15万
依托单位：
ALBERT EINSTEIN COLLEGE OF MEDICINE
依托单位国家：
美国
项目类别：
财政年份：
2005
资助国家：
美国
起止时间：
2005-09-01 至 2015-08-31
项目状态：
已结题

来源：
https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/8305642
关键词：
Acoustic Nerve Acoustics Address Algorithms Area Artificial Intelligence Auditory Auditory Physiology Auditory system Barn Owls Behavior Behavioral Biological Models Biology Birds Brain Brain Stem Cell Nucleus Cells Cochlea Cochlear Implants Cochlear nucleus Code Complex Cues Data Devices Dimensions Disease Drug Formulations Ear Engineering Frequencies Goals Head Hearing Human Impaired cognition Inferior Colliculus Lateral Left Link Location Mammals Maps Midbrain structure Modeling Neurons Neurosciences Noise Output Pathway interactions Patients Pattern Physiological Population Process Property Prosencephalon Research Robotics Saccades Scheme Signal Transduction Sound Localization Source Specialist Staging Stimulus Strigiformes Structure System Techniques Technology Testing Thalamic Nuclei Thalamic structure Theoretical model Time Work auditory nuclei auditory pathway base in vivo information processing interdisciplinary approach neural prosthesis neuromechanism neurophysiology operation public health relevance receptive field relating to nervous system research study response sound theories

项目摘要

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): All auditory information used for sound localization ascends through the brainstem auditory nuclei. We will use physiological and theoretical approaches to understand how multidimensional features of sound, relevant to sound localization, are processed and encoded in the avian auditory brainstem. A primary advantage of using barn owls for the exploration of auditory processing is the substantial body of behavioral, anatomical and neurophysiological work that has elucidated the mechanisms of sound localization. The main cues owls use to compute sound direction are the interaural level difference (ILD) and the interaural time difference (ITD). Unlike mammals, owls use ILD to determine the vertical coordinate of the sound source and ITD to determine the horizontal coordinate. Two independent brainstem pathways process ITD and ILD and converge in the midbrain, where a spatiotopic map of auditory space emerges. Activity of neurons in the map precedes, and stimulation evokes, a head-orienting response towards the sound source. Thus, in barn owls, the neural algorithm for sound localization can be viewed as a system in which two input variables (ITD and ILD) are processed in parallel in order to control two output variables (horizontal and vertical coordinates of head saccades). We have used theoretical models to describe the neural responses that encode spatial information in the owl's auditory system. This approach has guided our experiments and aided the interpretation of our findings. Behavioral experiments in humans have used a similar approach to sound localization. However, due to a lack of neural data in humans, the predictive power of models of sound localization with regard to the neural bases of behavior has been a persistent question. Our studies in barn owls address this issue by investigating the mechanism of neural computations that are fundamental to models developed for human sound localization. This proposal is organized around three primary questions: 1) What are the computational primitives of auditory-space processing in the owl's brainstem? 2) How is spectrotemporal information encoded, transmitted and processed in parallel with spatial information? 3) What fundamental changes in information coding occur at the crossroads between the auditory midbrain and forebrain? We will address these questions using a wide range of strategies and techniques - intracellular in vivo recordings, cell-attached recording in vivo, multi-neuron tetrode recording, and modeling - which will make our approach interdisciplinary and of broad scope. Our research seeks to understand the function of the auditory brainstem and midbrain. In doing so, we will identify the types of information that are available to upstream nuclei and show how this information is encoded. A comprehensive approach to information processing in the auditory brainstem has the potential to provide new avenues for better understanding disorders of the central auditory system and cognitive impairments involving hearing. By linking biology and engineering, mathematical formulations of brain processes can advance technology related to robotics and neural prosthetics. Cochlear implants that provide encoding of stimuli in ways that are more biologically relevant can be built, while devices acting downstream of the cochlea could aid patients with compromised or non-functional auditory nerves. By its differences and similarities with other species, the avian brain provides an excellent model system to define fundamental properties of neural processing and neural coding. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The proposed research will test hypotheses based on human models, of how the auditory system computes sound direction. This approach has the potential of providing new avenues for better understanding disorders of the central auditory system and cognitive impairments involving hearing. By linking biology and engineering, mathematical formulations of brain processes can advance technology related to artificial intelligence and neural prosthetics; smarter cochlear implants can be built, as well as devices acting downstream of the cochlea could aid patients with compromised or non-functional auditory nerves.

描述（由申请人提供）：用于声音定位的所有听觉信息都通过脑干听觉核团上升。我们将使用生理和理论方法来了解与声音定位相关的声音的多维特征如何在鸟类听觉脑干中进行处理和编码。使用仓鸮探索听觉处理的主要优势是大量的行为、解剖和神经生理学工作阐明了声音定位的机制。猫头鹰用来计算声音方向的主要线索是耳间电平差（ILD）和耳间时间差（ITD）。与哺乳动物不同，猫头鹰使用 ILD 确定声源的垂直坐标，使用 ITD 确定水平坐标。两条独立的脑干通路处理 ITD 和 ILD，并在中脑汇聚，形成听觉空间的时空图。图中神经元的活动先于刺激引起对声源的头部定向反应。因此，对于仓鸮来说，声音定位的神经算法可以被视为一个系统，其中两个输入变量（ITD和ILD）被并行处理，以控制两个输出变量（头部扫视的水平和垂直坐标）。我们使用理论模型来描述猫头鹰听觉系统中编码空间信息的神经反应。这种方法指导了我们的实验并帮助解释我们的发现。人类行为实验也使用了类似的声音定位方法。然而，由于缺乏人类神经数据，声音定位模型对行为神经基础的预测能力一直是一个长期存在的问题。我们对仓鸮的研究通过研究神经计算机制来解决这个问题，神经计算是人类声音定位模型的基础。该提案围绕三个主要问题进行组织：1）猫头鹰脑干中听觉空间处理的计算原语是什么？ 2）谱时信息如何与空间信息并行编码、传输和处理？ 3）听觉中脑和前脑之间的十字路口信息编码发生了哪些根本性变化？我们将使用广泛的策略和技术来解决这些问题——细胞内体内记录、细胞附着体内记录、多神经元四极记录和建模——这将使我们的方法跨学科且范围广泛。我们的研究旨在了解听觉脑干和中脑的功能。在此过程中，我们将识别上游核可用的信息类型，并展示这些信息是如何编码的。听觉脑干信息处理的综合方法有可能为更好地理解中枢听觉系统疾病和涉及听力的认知障碍提供新途径。通过将生物学和工程学联系起来，大脑过程的数学公式可以推进与机器人和神经修复相关的技术。可以构建以更具生物学相关性的方式提供刺激编码的耳蜗植入物，而作用于耳蜗下游的设备可以帮助听觉神经受损或无功能的患者。通过与其他物种的差异和相似之处，鸟类大脑提供了一个优秀的模型系统来定义神经处理和神经编码的基本特性。公共健康相关性：拟议的研究将测试基于人体模型的假设，即听觉系统如何计算声音方向。这种方法有可能为更好地理解中枢听觉系统疾病和涉及听力的认知障碍提供新途径。通过将生物学和工程学联系起来，大脑过程的数学公式可以推进与人工智能和神经修复相关的技术；可以制造更智能的人工耳蜗，以及作用于耳蜗下游的装置可以帮助听觉神经受损或无功能的患者。