RUI: Vertebrate Forebrain Organization: Ray-Finned Fishes

前脑是脊椎动物大脑的一部分，已经进化成复杂的大脑半球。大约一半的脊椎动物是硬骨鱼类，但我们对这一重要物种的前脑结构知之甚少。该项目将澄清硬骨鱼类大脑的两个主要前部，端脑和间脑的神经元场的身份。解剖研究将遵循四种方法。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比较的区域。2)某些示踪物质的局部摄取和神经元运输将决定前脑与大脑其他区域之间的连接模式。将对这些鱼前脑的不寻常发育进行分析，以更好地了解某些结构与其他脊椎动物的起源和对应关系。4)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，以了解前脑特定区域的功能意义。这项工作将为生理学和行为学研究提供形态学基础，有助于更好地理解脊椎动物大脑的组织和进化，揭示前脑形态和功能关系的新方面。它对一般的神经科学很重要，不仅仅是感觉、运动或神经科学，也许对大脑建模者也很重要。

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.