The role of the thalamus in human olfactory processing

丘脑在人类嗅觉处理中的作用

• 批准号: 8003504
• 负责人: Christina Maria Zelano
• 金额: $ 5.22万
• 依托单位: NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY AT CHICAGO
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2010
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2010-04-01 至 2013-03-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/8003504
• 关键词: Affect; Area; Attention; Brain; Brain region; Cluster Analysis; Code; Conscious; Data Analyses; Disease; Epilepsy; Fiber; Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Goals; Health Benefit; Human; Knowledge; Linear Models; Medial Dorsal Nucleus; Modality; Nature; Neocortex; Odors; Olfactory Cortex; Parkinson Disease; Pathway interactions; Perception; Prefrontal Cortex; Process; Role; Scanning; Schizophrenia; Sensory Process; Smell Perception; Stimulus; Structure; System; Testing; Thalamic structure; public health relevance; response; sensory stimulus

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): In general, conscious perception of sensory stimuli depends on a pathway to neocortex, and in all modalities except for olfaction, this requires going through the thalamus. Careful anatomical studies have found that in olfaction, the pathway between olfactory cortex and prefrontal cortex is mostly direct, with only a small contingent of fibers going to mediodorsal thalamus. This fundamental difference in the structural organization of the olfactory system indicates a qualitatively different role for the thalamus in olfactory processing. The goal of this proposal is to elucidate that role. In Aim 1, I will use fMRI to characterize the nature of intentional modulation of activity in the thalamus. By systematically altering attention to different odors, I will test the hypothesis that distributed codes of odor quality are attention dependent in the mediodorsal nucleus of the thalamus, while they are attention independent in primary olfactory cortex. In Aim 2, I will use fMRI to Using hierarchical cluster analysis and a general linear model approach to data analysis, I will be able to distinguish between olfactory brain regions that are involved in basic sensory processing, accumulation of information and moment of recognition during odor valence decisions and quality recognition. In Aim 3, I will use fMRI to ask whether the mediodorsal thalamus integrates information from multiple modalities during olfactory decisions. During scanning, subjects will smell odors that are either presented alone or paired with stimuli from other modalities, enabling us to test for multimodal olfactory response profiles in the mediodorsal thalamus. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Understanding the functional organization of the olfactory system has numerous potential health benefits. For one, olfactory structures overlap with brain areas that are affected by many common diseases including Alzeimer's disease, epilepsy, Parkinson's disease and schizophrenia. The mediodorsal thalamus, which is the main focus of this proposal, has been implicated in all of the aforementioned diseases. Increased knowledge of the role of the mediodorsal thalamus in olfactory processing will increase our knowledge of the diseases that affect it.

描述（由申请人提供）：一般而言，对感觉刺激的有意识的感知取决于通往新皮层的途径，除了嗅觉外，所有方式都需要通过丘脑。仔细的解剖学研究发现，在嗅觉中，嗅觉皮层和前额叶皮层之间的途径主要是直接的，只有一小部分纤维会进入中等多形的丘脑。嗅觉系统结构组织的这种基本差异表明丘脑在嗅觉加工中的作用在质上不同。该提案的目的是阐明该角色。在AIM 1中，我将使用fMRI来表征丘脑中活动有意调制的性质。通过系统地改变对不同气味的注意力，我将检验以下假设：丘脑的中质核的分布式气味质量代码取决于注意力，而它们在原发性嗅觉皮层中的注意力独立。在AIM 2中，我将使用fMRI使用分层群集分析和一般线性模型方法进行数据分析，我将能够区分与基本感觉处理，信息积累和气味价值决策和质量认识期间有关的嗅觉大脑区域。在AIM 3中，我将使用fMRI询问中地中丘脑是否在嗅觉决策过程中整合了来自多种模式的信息。在扫描过程中，受试者会闻到单独呈现或与其他模式的刺激配对的气味，从而使我们能够测试中腹丘脑中的多模式嗅觉响应曲线。 公共卫生相关性：了解嗅觉系统的功能组织具有许多潜在的健康益处。首先，嗅觉结构与受到许多常见疾病影响在内的大脑区域重叠，包括Alzeimer病，癫痫，帕金森氏病和精神分裂症。该提议的主要重点是中期丘脑，与上述所有疾病有关。对中畸形丘脑在嗅觉加工中的作用的知识增加将增加我们对影响其疾病的疾病的了解。