Neuronal Dynamics and the Basal Ganglia

特曼 基底神经节是一组在运动产生中起重要作用的核团。 基底神经节功能障碍与运动障碍有关，如帕金森病和亨廷顿舞蹈症。 基底神经节内的结构事实上已经成为最近治疗性外科手术的目标，包括苍白球切开术和脑深部电刺激。 大量的实验已经证明，基底神经节内的神经元显示出多种动力学行为;此外，神经元活动的模式在正常和病理状态之间是不同的。 这些神经放电模式的起源和这些模式背后的机制都还不清楚。 该项目的主要目标是开发详细的计算模型，基于实验数据，基底神经节活动和开发分析这些模型的实用工具。 研究者系统地研究了在广泛的一类兴奋-抑制神经元网络中发现的复杂活动模式的机制。 其中包括最近建立的一个模型，用于研究所谓的基底神经节间接通路中的神经元。 他还使用几何学和动力系统的方法来探索这些网络如何转换传入的放电模式。 研究者开发了一个基底神经节神经元活动的计算模型。 该模型被用来制定和测试hypothesconcerning在健康和疾病状态的基底神经节的功能作用。 随着它的发展，该模型可作为一种工具，可用于测试有关基底神经节功能、运动障碍中出现的病理学以及脑深部电刺激（DBS）等治疗干预措施可能被证明有效的机制的假设。 特别是，这项研究的一个中心方面是关于DBS如何减少帕金森病运动症状的检验。 这可能会导致DBS应用的新策略。 这个项目的主题为跨学科的研讨会、讲习班和合作提供了巨大的机会。 主要研究者一直非常积极地培养本科生、研究生和博士后。 他在国际会议上组织了许多研讨会，并在几个暑期教育项目上讲课。 这些活动的一个主要目标是帮助培养一个来自不同学科的学者参与数学生物科学的社区。

Terman The basal ganglia are a group of nuclei that play an important role inthe generation of movement. Dysfunction of the basal ganglia is associatedwith movement disorders such as Parkinson's disease and Huntington'schorea. Structures within the basal ganglia have in fact been the targetof recent therapeutic surgical procedures including pallidotomy and deepbrain stimulation. Numerous experiments have demonstrated that neuronswithin the basal ganglia display a variety of dynamic behaviors; moreover,patterns of neuronal activity differ between normal and pathologicalstates. Neither the origins of these neural firing patterns nor themechanisms that underlie the patterns are understood. The primary goals ofthe project are to develop detailed computational models, based onexperimental data, for basal ganglia activity and to develop mathematicaltools for analyzing these models. The investigator systematically studiesmechanisms underlying complex activity patterns found in a broad class ofexcitatory-inhibitory neuronal networks. These include a recentlyconstructed model for neurons within the so-called indirect pathway of thebasal ganglia. He also uses geometric, dynamical systems methods toexplore how these networks transform incoming firing patterns. The investigator develops a computational model for neuronal activityin the basal ganglia. The model is used to formulate and test hypothesesconcerning the functional role of the basal ganglia in both healthy anddiseased states. As it evolves, the model serves as a tool that can beused to test hypotheses about the function basal ganglia, the pathologiesthat develop in motor disorders, and the mechanisms through whichtherapeutic interventions such as deep brain stimulation (DBS) may proveeffective. In particular, a central aspect of this research is to testhypotheses about how DBS reduces parkinsonian motor symptoms. This maylead to new strategies by which DBS can be applied. Topics in this projectpresent tremendous opportunities for cross-disciplinary seminars, workshopsand collaborations. The principal investigator has been very active in thetraining of undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral students. He hasorganized numerous workshops at international conferences and has lecturedat several summer educational programs. A primary goal of these activitiesis to help nurture a community of scholars from different disciplinesinvolved in the mathematical biosciences.