RUI: Vertebrate Forebrain Organization: Ray-Finned Fishes

前脑是脊椎动物大脑的一部分，已经进化成精致的大脑半球。脊椎动物物种中大约有一半是硬骨鱼，但我们对这一重要群体的前脑结构知之甚少。这个项目将阐明硬骨鱼大脑的两个主要前部--端脑和间脑--神经元场的身份。解剖学研究将遵循四条途径。1)某些化学标记的分布将通过抗体结合来研究，以确定与其他脊椎动物前脑中类似研究区域相似的区域。2)前脑和其他脑区之间的连接模式将由某些示踪物质的局部摄取和神经元运输决定。3)将分析这些鱼的前脑的异常发育，以更好地了解某些结构的起源和与其他脊椎动物中发现的结构的对应关系。4)将对进化上密切相关、但生活方式不同、感觉系统发育不同的鱼类进行比较，以深入了解前脑特定区域的功能意义。这项工作将为生理和行为研究提供形态学基础，有助于更好地了解脊椎动物大脑的组织和进化，并揭示前脑形式和功能关系的新方面。它对整个神经科学都很重要，不仅仅是感官、运动或神经科学，也许对大脑建模人员也很重要。

The forebrain is the part of the brain of vertebrates that has evolved into the elaborate cerebral hemispheres. Roughly half of all vertebrate species are bony fishes, yet we know very little about the forebrain structure of this important group. This project will clarify the identity of the neuronal fields in the two major anterior parts of the brain, the telencephalon and diencephalon, in bony fishes. Anatomical studies will follow four lines of approach. 1) Distribution of certain chemical markers will be studied by antibody binding, to identify regions that are comparable to similarly studied regions in the forebrain of other vertebrates. 2) Patterns of connections between forebrain and other brain regions will be determined by local uptake and neuronal transport of certain tracer substances. 3) The unusual development of the forebrain in these fish will be analyzed to better understand the origins and correspondences of certain structures with those found in other vertebrates. 4) Comparisons will be made among fish species that are closely related evolutionarily, but have diverse lifestyles and differentially developed sensory systems, to gain insight into the functional significance of specific regions of the forebrain. This work will provide a morphological foundation for physiological and behavioral studies, lead to better understanding of the organization and evolution of the vertebrate brain, and reveal new aspects of form and functional relations in the forebrain. It will be important to neuroscience in general, beyond just sensory, motor, or neuroscience, and perhaps important to brain modelers.