Auditory Circuits for Interpreting Vocal Communication Signals

用于解释语音通信信号的听觉电路

• 批准号: 10322067
• 负责人: Frederic E. THEUNISSEN
• 金额: $ 31.32万
• 依托单位: UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BERKELEY
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2020-01-01 至 2024-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10322067
• 关键词: Acoustics; Affect; Anatomy; Animal Model; Animals; Area; Auditory; Auditory Perception; Auditory area; Auditory system; Behavior; Behavioral; Biological Models; Birds; Categories; Cochlear Implants; Communication; Complex; Comprehension; Computer Analysis; Computing Methodologies; Data; Databases; Detection; Development; Discrimination; Fathers; Goals; Hearing Aids; Human; Hunger; Individual; Knowledge; Laboratories; Learning Disabilities; Lesion; Location; Mediating; Memory; Mental disorders; Methods; Modeling; Nature; Neurons; Operant Conditioning; Partner in relationship; Performance; Pitch Perception; Play; Positioning Attribute; Process; Research; Role; Semantics; Series; Signal Transduction; Songbirds; Sound Localization; Source; Speech; Stress; System; Testing; Voice; Work; auditory processing; base; cognitive ability; cognitive skill; design; experimental study; neural circuit; neural prosthesis; neurophysiology; next generation; non-linear transformation; novel; relating to nervous system; response; semantic processing; signal processing; social; social attachment; sound; speech processing; speech recognition; vocalization; zebra finch

Project Summary/Abstract To interpret the vocalizations used in communication, such as human speech, animals and humans must perform a range of auditory tasks: the detection and localization of sounds, the perception of pitch and timbre, and the parsing and categorization of the information bearing sound features that is required for the interpretation of communication calls. Auditory neuroscientists have obtained a relatively good model of how complex sounds are represented in the primary auditory cortex primarily in terms of their spectro-temporal features. We also know that a network of higher-level auditory and associative cortical areas is involved in processing speech in humans and communication calls in animals. However, the neural circuits and the corresponding non-linear transformations that occur between primary auditory cortical areas and cortical regions that categorize communication sounds in terms of their meaning remains unknown. We are developing the avian model system to bridge this gap. Songbirds have a large repertoire of communication sounds that are used in distinct behavioral contexts. By combining behavioral and neurophysiological experiments, we will investigate how calls are categorized into call-types (semantics). We will also investigate the neural representation for learned categories that correspond to different vocalizers (voice). Using state-of-the-art computational approaches, we will decipher the sequence of non-linear processing steps occurring both at the level of single neurons and neuronal ensembles that perform these sound- to-meaning transformations. Our studies will elucidate the roles of different circuits within auditory cortex for processing semantics and voice. This knowledge will be essential to understand how dysfunctional auditory processing in certain mental disorders affects speech recognition and consequently other cognitive skills. Our work could also be instrumental in the development of novel signal processing methods for auditory neural prosthetics or hearing aids.

项目摘要/摘要 解释交流中使用的发声，例如人类言语，动物 人类必须执行一系列听觉任务：声音的检测和本地化， 音调和音色的感知以及信息轴承的解析和分类 解释通信呼叫所需的声音功能。听觉 神经科学家已经获得了一个相对较好的模型，即如何表示复杂的声音 在主要听觉皮层中，主要是基于它们的光谱特征。我们也是 知道高层听觉和关联皮质区域的网络参与 在人类中处理语音，并在动物中进行沟通电话。但是，神经回路 以及主要听觉皮质之间发生的相应的非线性转换 区域和皮质区域，根据其含义对通信声音进行分类 仍然未知。我们正在开发鸟类模型系统来弥合这一差距。鸣禽 在不同的行为环境中使用大量的交流声音曲目。 通过结合行为和神经生理实验，我们将调查呼叫的方式 分类为呼叫类型（语义）。我们还将研究 学到的类别与不同的声音（语音）相对应。使用最新的 计算方法，我们将破译非线性处理步骤的顺序 发生在单个神经元和执行这些声音的神经元合奏水平上 卑鄙的转换。我们的研究将阐明不同电路在内的作用 用于处理语义和语音的听觉皮层。这些知识对于 了解某些精神障碍中功能失调的听觉处理如何影响语音 认可，因此其他认知技能。我们的工作也可能在 开发用于听觉神经假体或助听器的新型信号处理方法。