Modeling the connectome of a simple spinal cord.
Modeling the connectome of a simple spinal cord.
复制标题
DOI：
10.3389/fninf.2011.00020
复制
发表时间：
2011
影响因子：
3.5
通讯作者：
Soffe SR
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Borisyuk R;Al Azad AK;Conte D;Roberts A;Soffe SR
在本文中，我们开发了脊髓解剖学的计算模型。我们通过对 2 天大的孵化爪蟾蝌蚪的完整脊髓连接图进行建模，解决了神经科学长期以来理解结构功能问题的雄心。我们模拟神经元连接的方法基于轴突生长的发育过程。轴突生长的简单数学模型使我们能够根据神经生物学数据重建蝌蚪脊髓的生物学真实连接组。在我们的模型中，我们根据实验测量将神经元细胞体和树突分布在神经元细胞体的两侧。如果生长的轴突穿过另一个神经元的树突，它们就会以一定的概率建立突触接触。整个神经元网络包含六种细胞类型的约 1,500 个神经元，总共约 120,000 个连接。解剖模型包含随机成分，因此连接组重建过程的每次重复都会生成不同的神经元网络，尽管所有神经元网络都具有一致的特征，例如细胞体、树突和轴突长度的分布。我们的研究揭示了连接体的复杂结构，具有许多有趣的特定特征，包括连接长度分布的对比分布。连接组还显示出与其他动物的连接图的一些相似之处，例如线虫的全局神经元网络。除了连接组有趣的内在特性之外，我们期望生长和分析生物学上真实的脊髓连接组的能力将为了解简单行为背后的真实神经元网络的特性提供有价值的见解。
In this paper we develop a computational model of the anatomy of a spinal cord. We address a long-standing ambition of neuroscience to understand the structure–function problem by modeling the complete spinal cord connectome map in the 2-day old hatchling Xenopus tadpole. Our approach to modeling neuronal connectivity is based on developmental processes of axon growth. A simple mathematical model of axon growth allows us to reconstruct a biologically realistic connectome of the tadpole spinal cord based on neurobiological data. In our model we distribute neuron cell bodies and dendrites on both sides of the body based on experimental measurements. If growing axons cross the dendrite of another neuron, they make a synaptic contact with a defined probability. The total neuronal network contains ∼1,500 neurons of six cell-types with a total of ∼120,000 connections. The anatomical model contains random components so each repetition of the connectome reconstruction procedure generates a different neuronal network, though all share consistent features such as distributions of cell bodies, dendrites, and axon lengths. Our study reveals a complex structure for the connectome with many interesting specific features including contrasting distributions of connection length distributions. The connectome also shows some similarities to connectivity graphs for other animals such as the global neuronal network of C. elegans. In addition to the interesting intrinsic properties of the connectome, we expect the ability to grow and analyze a biologically realistic spinal cord connectome will provide valuable insights into the properties of the real neuronal networks underlying simple behavior.