CRCNS Research Proposal: Randomness and systematicity in neural codes for motor exploration

了解大脑如何学习和控制复杂的技能是神经科学的关键问题之一。在人类和动物中，“运动探索”--大脑为了学习而产生行为变化的过程--对于技能的初始学习和神经损伤后运动功能的恢复都至关重要。在以前的研究中，运动探索被认为是一个随机的过程。在拟议的研究中，我们将评估这一假设，即运动探索不是一个随机的过程，而是一个系统的探索，许多模式的大脑活动，可能被用来实现所需的输出。了解运动探索是如何在生物学上实现的，不仅可以回答神经科学中的一个关键基本问题，还可以为创造康复治疗的新方法打开大门。我们将通过收集鸣禽发声控制系统的数据，并通过创建可应用于任何物种数据的新型数学工具来实现这些目标。鸣禽的声音学习与语音学习有许多行为上的相似之处，这是为数不多的非人类系统之一，可以用来研究大脑如何学习和控制声音信号，使个体能够相互交流。我们的实验和计算研究将揭示神经系统如何协调精确定时的电活动模式，使鸣禽能够探索不同的声音输出，以产生所需的声音。这些研究将增强我们对复杂行为的理解，创造新的分析技术供其他研究人员使用。此外，作为该奖项的一部分，我们将与当地中学教师合作，为加强神经科学的公共教育创造教育资源，为来自代表性不足群体的研究生创造培训机会，并编写一本关于如何将物理学中的数学工具最好地应用于生物学问题的教科书。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并被认为值得通过使用基金会的学术价值和更广泛的影响审查标准。

Understanding how the brain learns and controls complex skills is one of the crucial problems of neuroscience. In both humans and animals, "motor exploration" - the process by which the brain generates variations in behavior in order to learn - is critical for both the initial learning of a skill and for the recovery of motor function following neurological injuries. In prior research, motor exploration has been assumed to be a random process. In the proposed research, we will evaluate the hypothesis that motor exploration is not a random process, but rather a systematic exploration, of many patterns of brain activity that might be used to achieve the desired output. Understanding how motor exploration is implemented biologically would not only answer a key basic question in neuroscience but would also open doors for creation of new approaches to rehabilitative therapies. We will achieve these goals by collecting data from the vocal control system in songbirds and by creating novel mathematical tools that can be applied to data from any species. Vocal learning in songbirds shares many behavioral similarities to speech learning, providing one of the few non-human systems in which to examine how the brain learns and controls the sound signals that allow individuals to communicate with each other. Our experimental and computational studies will reveal how the nervous system coordinates the precisely-timed patterns of electrical activity that allow songbirds to explore different vocal outputs in order to produce the desired sound. These studies will, enhance our understanding of complex behavior, create novel analysis techniques for use by other researchers. Additionally, as part of this award we will engage with local middle school teachers to create educational resources for enhancing public education in neuroscience, create training opportunities for graduate students from under-represented groups, and write a textbook on how mathematical tools arising from physics can best be applied to biological problems.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.