Mammalian Models in Neuroethology

通过探索感官和行为特别发达的动物物种，在了解神经系统功能方面取得了一些最重要的进展。例如，对神经元功能的大部分了解都是基于对鱿鱼巨大轴突的研究。在目前的项目中，将研究星鼻鼹鼠的神经生物学和行为，目的是揭示神经系统组织、功能和可塑性的一般原理。星鼻鼹鼠有一种特殊的触觉，包括用于根据近乎微观的纹理进行快速辨别的机械感官。该物种为探索哺乳动物的触觉提供了一个模型，包括模拟机械感受器的功能和研究新皮质中触摸信息的并行处理。因为新皮质是哺乳动物神经系统的标志，在人类中尤其大，所以人们特别有兴趣了解跨物种的基本组织以及它是如何进化的。这些研究对教学也很有价值，因为这些动物对学生和公众来说都是独特的和有趣的。必须解决的问题将带领研究人员和学生经历一段发现之旅，范围从动物在其自然环境中的一端到单细胞的解剖学和生理学。调查将包括为研究生和本科生提供许多不同的培训机会。这些研究包括实验室环境下的神经解剖学和电生理学研究，以及野外行为和生态学研究。

Some of the most important advances in the understanding of nervous system function have been made by exploring animal species with particularly well-developed senses and behaviors. For example, much of the understanding of neuron function is based on studies of the giant axon of the squid. In the current project, the neurobiology and behavior of the star-nosed mole will be investigated with the goal of revealing general principles of nervous system organization, function, and plasticity. Star-nosed moles have an exceptional sense of touch, including mechanosensory organs that are used to make rapid discriminations based on nearly microscopic textures. This species provides a model for exploring the mammalian sense of touch, including simulation of mechanoreceptor function and investigation of parallel processing of touch information in the neocortex. Because the neocortex is a hallmark of the mammalian nervous system and is especially large in humans, there is a particular interest in understanding the basic organization across species and how it evolved. These studies are also valuable for teaching because the animals are unique and interesting to students and the public. The questions that must be addressed will take the investigators and students through a journey of discovery that ranges from the animal in its natural environment at one extreme to the anatomy and physiology of single cells at the other extreme. The investigations will include many different training opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students. These include studies of neuroanatomy and electrophysiology in a laboratory setting and studies of behavior and ecology in the field.