Imaging and manipulating neural circuits involved in visual motion processing underlying perception and visuomotor behaviour

成像和操纵参与视觉运动处理的神经回路，感知和视觉运动行为

• 批准号: 239592145
• 负责人: Dr. Takashi Sato, Ph.D.
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: Department of Neuroscience
• 依托单位国家: 德国
• 项目类别: Research Units
• 财政年份: 2013
• 资助国家: 德国
• 起止时间: 2012-12-31 至 2015-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gepris.dfg.de/gepris/projekt/239592145?language=en
• 关键词: Imaging; manipulating; neural; circuits; involved

Takashi Sato proposes to use a combination of emerging optical and optogenetic techniques to identify specific contributions of different types of neurons and their respective input to the formation of sensorimotor decisions. As a newly recruited junior research group leader at the CIN, he will apply 2-photon imaging of Ca-signals expressed by single neurons and groups of neurons in the FEF in combination with the tracing of connections. Using these techniques, he will investigate distinct functional contributions of specific types of neurons with respect to visually guided saccades in marmoset monkeys as a suitable substrate of sensorimotor decisions. Furthermore, this group will examine the role of specific inputs to identified types of FEF cells by deactivating or activating these inputs by light, following the targeted expression of suitable light-activated channels. Unlike most other group members, he will primarily rely on marmosets, instead of rhesus monkeys, since the lissencencephalic brains of this new world species seems to be more amenable for the optogenetic methods. However, these methods are clearly not confined to the specific research question on the role of FEF in sensorimotor decisions. Rather, working on this specific question will help to establish and to refine this technology for its application in primates and to disseminate it to other groups, since these methods have so far been largely confined to studies of the rodent brain.

Takashi Sato建议使用新兴的光学和光遗传学技术的组合来识别不同类型的神经元及其各自的输入对感觉运动决策形成的特定贡献。作为CIN新招募的初级研究小组负责人，他将对FEF中单个神经元和神经元组表达的Ca信号进行双光子成像，并结合连接追踪。使用这些技术，他将调查不同的功能贡献的特定类型的神经元视觉引导扫视作为一个合适的基板的感觉运动的决定在绒猴。此外，该小组将通过在合适的光激活通道的靶向表达之后通过光灭活或激活这些输入来检查特定输入对所识别类型的FEF细胞的作用。与大多数其他群体成员不同，他将主要依靠绒猴，而不是恒河猴，因为这种新世界物种的无脑大脑似乎更适合光遗传学方法。然而，这些方法显然并不局限于特定的研究问题的作用FEF在感觉运动的决定。相反，研究这个具体问题将有助于建立和完善这项技术，以便在灵长类动物中应用，并将其传播到其他群体，因为这些方法迄今为止主要限于对啮齿动物大脑的研究。