Collaborative Research: EAGER: Neurophysiological basis of the light-dependent magnetic compass in birds

探测地球磁场并利用这些信息进行定位的能力在动物中很普遍。最近的证据支持夜间候鸟的一种化学的、依赖于光的、自由基对的磁感应机制。这项拟议工作的目的是检验这样一种假设，即鸟类视觉系统中类似于哺乳动物视觉皮质的一个亚区--簇-N处理光介导的磁罗盘信息，并探索簇-N神经元放电模式中编码的空间磁图。更好地理解“教科书”五种感官之外的更广泛的感官处理，为跨越多个学术层次的广泛教育影响提供了场所。该项目的研究目标将在物理学、行为学和神经生物学的界面上为两名研究生提供跨学科培训。其中一名PI是加州大学圣迭戈分校神经科学研究生项目的主任。它监督着一个成熟和成功的K-12教育推广计划，其广泛的目标是与圣地亚哥的学生和社区成员分享大脑和神经科学研究的知识。研究生和PI将直接与圣地亚哥联合大学和其他附近学区的高中生和教师合作，开发提供(和展示)给每个学校的互动科学教学模块，并领导一个教师培训计划。该项目目前提供四个神经科学模块，可以由加州大学圣地亚哥分校的研究人员或受过该小组培训的高中教师领导。目前的模块介绍比较神经解剖学、脑解剖、电生理学和组织学。PI目前正在创建第五个围绕感觉系统建立的模块，并计划在这个新模块中包括磁接收。越来越多的证据支持鸟类前脑视觉区域CLUSTER-N参与处理夜间迁徙鸣禽用来导航的光相关磁罗盘的信息。我们还没有研究到Club-N神经元对良好控制的磁场和视觉刺激的电生理反应，这给我们对这一新的感觉系统的生物学理解留下了很大的空白。为了填补这一空白，PI利用了两个研究小组的跨学科专业知识：Ritz实验室专注于隐色素(Cry)光磁感应的生物物理学，Gentner实验室专注于簇N神经元的感觉电生理学。在Ritz集团提供的模型框架的基础上，Gentner小组将测试Cry假说对N簇神经元的电生理光介导磁反应的明确预测。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The ability to detect the earth's magnetic field and use this information for orientation is widespread among animals. Recent evidence supports a chemical, light-dependent, radical-pair magnetoreception mechanism in night-time migratory songbirds. The goal of the proposed work is to test the hypothesis that Cluster-N, a sub-region of the avian visual Wulst analogous to the mammalian visual cortex, processes light-mediated magnetic compass information, and to explore the magnetic map of space encoded in the spiking patterns of Cluster-N neurons. Better understanding of a wider range of sensory processing beyond the "textbook" five senses provides a venue for broad educational impacts that cut across multiple academic levels. The research objectives of the project will provide interdisciplinary training to two graduate students at the interface of physics, behavioral and neuro-biology. One of the PIs is a Director of the UCSD Neurosciences Graduate Program. which oversees an established and successful K-12 education outreach program, with the broad goal of sharing knowledge of the brain and neuroscience research with San Diego students and community members. Graduate students and PIs will work directly with high school students and teachers from San Diego Unified and other nearby school districts to develop interactive science teaching modules provided (and presented) to each school and lead a Teacher Training Program. The program currently offers four neuroscience modules, that can be led by either a UCSD researcher or high school teacher that has been trained by the group. Current modules introduce Comparative Neuroanatomy, Brain Dissection, Electrophysiology, and Histology. The PIs are currently creating a fifth module built around sensory systems, and plan to include magneto-reception in this new module.Converging evidence supports the involvement of an avian forebrain visual area, cluster-N, in processing information for the light-dependent magnetic compass that night-migratory songbirds use to navigate. The electrophysiological responses of Cluster-N neurons to well-controlled magnetic field and visual stimuli have not been examined, leaving a deep gap in our understanding of the biology of this novel sensory system. To fill this gap, the PIs exploit the interdisciplinary expertise of two research groups: the Ritz lab, focused on the biophysics of cryptochrome (Cry) photo-magnetoreception, and the Gentner lab, focused on the sensory electrophysiology of Cluster-N neurons. Building on a modelling framework provided by the Ritz group, the Gentner group will test explicit predictions of the Cry-hypothesis for electrophysiological light-mediated magnetic responses of Cluster-N neurons.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.