The Effect of Feedback Inhibition on Sensory Relay by Visual Thalamus

反馈抑制对视觉丘脑感觉传递的影响

• 批准号: 0079931
• 负责人: Gregory Conradi Smith
• 金额: $ 26.19万
• 依托单位: Arizona State University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2000
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2000-09-15 至 2001-09-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0079931&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Effect; Feedback; Inhibition; Sensory; Relay

The flow of visual information from the eye (retina) to the areas of the brain (cerebral cortex) necessary for visual perception is routed through a brain structure known as the thalamus. Part of the thalamus called the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) serves as a "relay station" between the retina and visual cortex. Current research indicates that the LGN plays an important role in visual processing and should be thought of as a "dynamic filter" as opposed to a "relay." The aim of this research project is to understand the functional role of the inhibitory mechanisms of the LGN (and nearby brain areas). Of particular interest is how inhibitory neurons are involved in "filtering out" retinal information from this visual pathway. The PI's approach is mathematical and computational. After constructing a biophysically and anatomically detailed mathematical model of the LGN neuronal network, numerical experiments will quantify the input/output properties of the simulated neural network. The LGN model will then be used to predict the influence of inhibitory mechanisms on the relay of retinal information to visual cortex. Because the LGN is the most extensively studied thalamic relay nuclei, it is a good system in which to study the role of inhibition in sensory processing by thalamus. This study of a sensory thalamic relay may suggest approaches to investigating the role of the thalamus in intracortical communication, a fundamental aspect of brain function.

视觉信息从眼睛（视网膜）到大脑（大脑皮层）的视觉感知所需的区域的流动是通过称为丘脑的大脑结构进行的。 丘脑的一部分称为外侧膝状体核（LGN），是视网膜和视觉皮层之间的“中继站”。 目前的研究表明，LGN在视觉加工中起着重要的作用，应该被认为是一个“动态过滤器”，而不是“中继器”。“这项研究项目的目的是了解LGN（和附近大脑区域）抑制机制的功能作用。 特别令人感兴趣的是，抑制性神经元如何参与从这一视觉通路中“过滤”视网膜信息。 PI的方法是数学和计算的。在构建LGN神经网络的生物病理学和解剖学详细的数学模型之后，数值实验将量化模拟神经网络的输入/输出特性。 然后，LGN模型将被用来预测抑制机制对视网膜信息到视皮层的中继的影响。 由于LGN是研究最广泛的丘脑中继核团，它是研究丘脑感觉加工抑制作用的良好系统。 这项对感觉丘脑中继的研究可能为研究丘脑在皮质内通信中的作用提供了方法，这是大脑功能的一个基本方面。