CRCNS US-French Research Proposal: Impact of network state on corticocortical communication

与数字计算机形成鲜明对比的是，大脑始终处于活跃状态，对单细胞刺激的反应是嘈杂和不可靠的。大脑依靠的不是单个处理器的速度和准确性，而是成千上万个神经元对信息的并行、同时采样。神经元群体，虽然嘈杂和缓慢，一起产生足够准确的感知现实的代表性进行行为更有效地和数量级快于任何计算机今天存在。这种并行处理的关键是大脑皮层神经网络之间的有效通信。大脑活动的波动与神经元群体在皮层网络之间有效通信以编码信息的能力之间的相互作用是未知的。在这个项目中，研究人员使用最先进的实验和计算工具探索和测试皮质-皮质通信的机制和规则。这项工作不仅将解决长期存在的关于皮质-皮质通信的假设，并导致新的计算分析工具的开发，而且还有助于阐明认知障碍，这些认知障碍被认为部分是由于皮质区域之间的错误信息传输。此外，该项目还将为来自不同背景的学生提供参与国际前沿跨学科研究的机会。在该项目中，研究人员将研究在这两种定义良好的网络状态下，初级视觉皮层第2-3层的局部网络之间如何传递视觉反应。具体而言，研究人员将使用电生理学，光遗传学，药理学和计算方法来量化体内初级视觉皮层中的细胞和网络通信，这些网络状态已被提出来理想地允许皮质通信：伽马振荡和非振荡噪声状态，全球称为异步不规则。研究人员能够用特定的视觉刺激来引出和控制这些状态，并将表征这些状态的神经元背景活动以及它们在皮质柱之间有效传输信息中的作用。数据的大量和新的定性方面将使研究人员能够产生新的分析算法和理论方法，以及大规模的计算模型。最终，计算模型将有助于理解在定义明确的网络状态中传输信息的种群动态。该项目由生物科学理事会神经系统集群和计算机和信息科学与工程理事会信息和智能系统司联合资助。法国国家研究机构（ANR）正在资助一个配套项目。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

In great contrast to a digital computer, the brain is constantly active and responses to stimuli of single cells are noisy and unreliable. Instead of speed and accuracy by a single processor, brains rely on the parallel, simultaneous sampling of information by thousands of neurons. Neuronal populations, albeit noisy and slow, together generate sufficiently accurate perceptual representations of reality to conduct behavior much more efficiently and orders of magnitude faster than any computer in existence today. Key to such parallel processing is efficient communication among neural networks in the cortex of the brain. The interaction of the fluctuating activity of the brain and the ability of populations of neurons to efficiently communicate between cortical networks in order to encode information is unknown. In this project, the investigators explore and test the mechanisms and rules of cortico-cortical communication using state of the art experimental and computational tools. The work will not only address long-standing hypotheses about cortico-cortical communication and result in the development of novel computational analysis tools but also help shed light on cognitive disorders believed to be due in part to faulty information transmission between cortical areas. In addition, the project will provide opportunities for students from diverse backgrounds to participate in cutting-edge international interdisciplinary research.In this project, the investigators examine how visual responses are communicated between local networks in layers 2-3 of primary visual cortex under those two well-defined network states. Specifically, the investigators will use electrophysiological, optogenetic, pharmacological and computational approaches to quantify cellular and network communication in primary visual cortex in vivo under network states that have been proposed to ideally allow corticocortical communication: gamma oscillations and non-oscillatory noisy states globally termed asynchronous irregular. The investigators are able to elicit and control those states with specific visual stimulation and will characterize the states’ neuronal background activity as well as their role in efficient transmission of information between cortical columns. The large volume and new qualitative aspects of the data will allow the investigators to generate novel analysis algorithms and theoretical approaches, as well as large-scale computational models. Ultimately, the computational models will help understand population dynamics for the transmission of information in well-defined network states. This project is funded jointly by the Neural Systems Cluster in the Biological Sciences Directorate and the Division of Information and Intelligent Systems in the Computer and information Science and Engineering Directorate. A companion project is being funded by the French National Research Agency (ANR).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.