Collaborative Research: Navigation and the Neural Integration of Multimodal Sensory Information in the Brain of an Arthropod

合作研究：节肢动物大脑中多模态感觉信息的导航和神经整合

• 批准号: 1456221
• 负责人: Wulfila Gronenberg
• 金额: $ 36.5万
• 依托单位: University of Arizona
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2015
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2015-08-01 至 2020-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1456221&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Navigation; Neural; Integration

The ability of animals to navigate through their environment often far exceeds human capabilities (without the help of technology). Exceptional navigation is not limited to animals with large brains, like birds and mammals. It can also be found in animals with simpler nervous systems. The tropical amblypygid, a scorpion-like animal, is able to find its way home at night over distances exceeding 10 meters through dense, tropical forest understory. The study of how different types of sensory information (visual, chemical, tactile) are processed by amblypygids as they solve navigation problems can reveal fundamental design properties of simple nervous systems that are somehow capable of controlling complex, learned behavior. These design properties can inspire engineering solutions applicable to robotic and artificial intelligence systems. The study of charismatic tropical amblypygids also serves as an alluring gateway for teachers to introduce K-12 students to the importance of neuroscience for understanding how organisms acquire and process information from their environment and how this information influences learning, memory and associated behavior. To support engagement with K-12 students, their teachers and the general public, researchers will, among other activities, develop internet-based educational materials in both English and Spanish and develop various scientific inquiry activities for science events. By conducting behavioral experiments that assess amblypygid (Phrynus pseudoparvulus) movements after they are displaced from a home refuge, researchers will assess the relative importance of visual, chemical and mechanical information in supporting navigation. These experiments will either involve manipulation of animal sense organs or the sensory cues in their environment. The neurobiological work will focus on a brain area known as the "mushroom bodies", which are thought to support spatial memory. In parallel with the behavioral work, researchers will explore the nervous system routes by which information from different sensory stimuli is sent to the mushroom bodies. Particular attention will be given to how the mushroom bodies "engineer" or "integrate" the different sensory inputs. The integration of sensory inputs is hypothesized to be necessary to support complex navigation and will likely be crucial for the design of any sophisticated artificial system. Finally, the importance of the mushroom bodies in navigation, and their capacity to combine different sources of sensory information, will be tested under the same conditions of the behavioral experiments noted above, except using animals whose mushroom bodies are impaired.

动物在环境中导航的能力往往远远超过人类的能力（没有技术的帮助）。卓越的导航能力并不局限于大脑大的动物，如鸟类和哺乳动物。它也可以在具有简单神经系统的动物中发现。这种类似蝎子的热带动物能够在夜间穿过茂密的热带森林林下植被，在超过10米的距离内找到回家的路。 研究不同类型的感觉信息（视觉，化学，触觉）是如何处理的amblypygids，因为他们解决导航问题可以揭示简单的神经系统的基本设计特性，以某种方式能够控制复杂的，学习的行为。这些设计特性可以激发适用于机器人和人工智能系统的工程解决方案。魅力热带amblypygids的研究也作为一个诱人的门户教师介绍K-12学生神经科学的重要性，了解生物体如何获取和处理来自环境的信息，以及这些信息如何影响学习，记忆和相关行为。为了支持K-12学生，他们的教师和公众的参与，研究人员将，除其他活动外，开发基于互联网的英语和西班牙语教育材料，并为科学活动开发各种科学探究活动。通过进行行为实验，评估amblypygid（Phrynus pseudoparvulus）从家庭避难所流离失所后的运动，研究人员将评估视觉，化学和机械信息在支持导航中的相对重要性。这些实验将涉及操纵动物的感觉器官或其环境中的感觉线索。神经生物学工作将集中在被称为“蘑菇体”的大脑区域，该区域被认为支持空间记忆。在进行行为研究的同时，研究人员还将探索神经系统的路径，通过这些路径，来自不同感官刺激的信息被发送到蘑菇体。将特别关注蘑菇体如何“工程师”或“整合”不同的感官输入。 感觉输入的整合被认为是支持复杂导航所必需的，并且可能对任何复杂人工系统的设计至关重要。最后，蘑菇体在导航中的重要性，以及它们将不同来源的感觉信息联合收割机结合起来的能力，将在与上述行为实验相同的条件下进行测试，除了使用蘑菇体受损的动物。