RUI: Mechanisms of Synchronized Oscillatory Activity in the Nervous System

节律性运动行为的基本模式是由 中枢神经系统回路称为神经振荡器。 的 在这项研究中调查的振荡活动，诱导 钙电流的抑制是不寻常的，因为它取决于 钠电流（而不是在其他细胞中观察到的钙电流） 动物），并且因为振荡在所有动物中同步发生， 相同的无脊椎动物神经系统的神经元。 这些新颖 功能将允许几个具有广泛意义的问题， 处理。 首先，是什么细胞机制产生这些 钠依赖振荡和为什么钠依赖 与钙离子依赖型振荡器相比如此罕见吗 第二，什么细胞机制被用来同步 神经网络中的振荡活动 回答这些 安格斯塔特博士将1）开发一个孤立的神经元， 一种表达类似于 在完整神经节中观察到，2）确定并表征 持续的离子电流产生的振荡，和3） 确定负责同步的细胞机制， 不同神经元的振荡 他的方法将是 从无脊椎动物神经节中识别出神经元， 在细胞培养中，并使用电压钳研究其离子电流 技术. 在其他实验中， 振荡的同步将在实验中进行研究 在完整的神经节上 这些研究很重要，因为它们将 对神经中持续钠电导的进一步认识 细胞，包括它们在产生 振荡活动，并可能提供一个模型系统的研究， 同步神经元活动的细胞机制 与癫痫和其他更复杂的癫痫发作有关， 神经系统

The basic patterns of rhythmic motor behavior are generated by central nervous system circuits called neural oscillators. The oscillatory activity under investigation in this study, induced by suppression of calcium currents, is unusual in that it depends on sodium currents (rather than calcium currents as observed in other animals) and because the oscillations occur synchronously in all neurons of the same invertebrate nervous systems. These novel features will allow several questions of broad significance to be addressed. First, what cellular mechanisms generate these sodium-dependent oscillations and why are sodium-dependent oscillators so rare compared to calcium-dependent oscillators? Second, what cellular mechanisms are used to synchronize oscillatory activity within neural networks? To answer these questions, Dr. Angstadt will 1) develop an isolated neuron preparation that expresses oscillatory activity similar to that observed in intact ganglia, 2) identify and characterize the role of persistent ionic currents in generating the oscillations, and 3) determine the cellular mechanisms responsible for synchronizing the oscillations in different neurons. His approach will be to remove identified neurons from invertebrate ganglia, isolate these neurons in cell culture, and study their ionic currents using voltage clamp techniques. In other experiments, mechanisms underlying synchronization of oscillations will be investigated in experiments on intact ganglia. These studies are important because they will further understanding of persistent sodium conductances in nerve cells, including their functional role in the generation of oscillatory activity, and may provide a model system for studies of cellular mechanisms underlying the synchronized neuronal activity associated with epileptic and other seizures in more complex nervous systems.