Neuronal Dynamics and the Basal Ganglia

基底节是一组在运动的产生中起重要作用的核团。基底节功能障碍与运动障碍有关，如帕金森氏症和亨廷顿氏症。事实上，基底节内的结构一直是最近治疗外科手术的目标，包括苍白球切开术和深部脑刺激。大量实验表明，基底神经节内的神经元表现出不同的动态行为；此外，神经元的活动模式在正常和病理状态下也不同。无论是这些神经放电模式的起源，还是这些模式背后的机制都不清楚。该项目的主要目标是根据实验数据开发基底节活动的详细计算模型，并开发用于分析这些模型的数学工具。研究人员系统地研究了在一大类兴奋-抑制神经网络中发现的复杂活动模式的潜在机制。其中包括最近为所谓的基底节间接通路内的神经元构建的模型。他还使用几何、动力学系统方法来探索这些网络如何改变来袭的射击模式。研究人员开发了一个基底节神经元活动的计算模型。该模型被用来制定和测试关于健康和疾病状态下基底神经节的功能作用的假说。随着它的发展，该模型成为一种工具，可以用来检验关于基底神经节功能的假设，运动障碍的发病机制，以及深部脑刺激(DBS)等治疗干预措施被证明有效的机制。特别是，这项研究的一个中心方面是测试关于DBS如何减少帕金森病运动症状的假说。这可能会带来新的战略，DBS可以通过这些战略来应用。这个项目的主题为跨学科研讨会、工作坊和合作提供了巨大的机会。首席研究员一直非常积极地培训本科生、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批从事数学生物科学的不同学科的学者。

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.