Computational, Physiological and Behavioral Analysis of Cortical Adaptation in Olfaction

这一建议提出了一种多学科、协作的方法来理解所有神经感觉系统的基本功能，即通过经验修改和过滤背景或生物无关的刺激。该提案特别关注大鼠嗅球和皮质的气味习惯性。嗅觉系统代表了这类研究的理想系统，有几个原因，其中每一个都被拟议的研究所利用。首先，哺乳动物的嗅觉系统在解剖学上相对简单，嗅觉皮质是进化上最古老的哺乳动物感觉皮质之一。其次，这种相对的简单性导致了对传入和皮质内纤维系统的突触连接和生理学以及神经调节系统对它们的调节的广泛了解。第三，这一知识使计算模型的发展成为可能，其中包括嗅球和梨状皮质神经元。具体地说，该项目将确定皮质神经元中气味习惯化的突触机制和气味习惯化的气味特异性，然后将电生理结果整合到大脑皮层的计算模型中，该模型将用于做出和测试气味环境中气味习惯化和刺激背景分割的预测。该项目结合了两个活跃的研究小组的专业知识，专门从事感觉生理学和计算建模。这种研究环境将被用来让来自不同背景的学生从高中到毕业生接触到新的研究技术和概念方法。

This proposal presents a multidisciplinary, collaborative approach to understanding a basic function of all neuronal sensory systems, namely, modification by experience and filtering of background or biologically irrelevant stimuli. The proposal specifically focuses on odor habituation in rat olfactory bulb and cortex. The olfactory system represents an ideal system for such studies for several reasons, each of which is taken advantage of by the proposed studies. First, the mammalian olfactory system is anatomically relatively simple, with the olfactory cortex one of the evolutionarily oldest mammalian sensory cortices. Second, this relative simplicity has resulted in extensive knowledge of synaptic connections and physiology of both afferent and intracortical fiber systems and their regulation by neuromodulatory systems. Third, this knowledge has allowed development of computational models which include both olfactory bulb and piriform cortical neurons. Specifically the project will determine the synaptic mehcnaisms of odor habituation and odor-specificity of habituation in cortical neurons and then incorporate the electrophysiological results into a computational model of the cortex which will be used to make and test predictions about odor habituation and stimulus-background segmentation in an odor environment. The project combines the expertise of two active research groups specializing in sensory physiology and computational modeling. This research environment will be used to expose students, high school through graduate from diverse backgrounds to new research techniques and conceptual approaches.