The role of prefrontal dopamine in the neural dynamics of perceptual decisions

前额叶多巴胺在知觉决策的神经动力学中的作用

基本信息

批准号：
317157544
负责人：
Professor Dr. Simon N. Jacob
金额：
--
依托单位：
Neurochirurgische Klinik und Poliklinik
依托单位国家：
德国
项目类别：
Research Grants
财政年份：
2016
资助国家：
德国
起止时间：
2015-12-31 至 2019-12-31
项目状态：
已结题

来源：
https://gepris.dfg.de/gepris/projekt/317157544?language=en
关键词：
role prefrontal dopamine neural dynamics

项目摘要

A fundamental challenge in neuroscience is to understand how neuronal activity creates a subjective experience of our sensory environment. Several brain regions, from primary sensory areas to higher cognitive regions such as the prefrontal cortex, are involved in translating external stimulation into an internal representation and a decision to act. The neuromodulator dopamine has frequently been linked to neuropsychiatric diseases with characteristic disturbances of sensory perception. However, it is still unknown whether dopamine controls how sensory stimuli are subjectively experienced and interpreted.In this project, we will combine targeted perturbations of dopamine neurotransmission in prefrontal cortex using optogenetic techniques with electrophysiological recordings and behavioural analyses in mice performing a perceptual decision making task. Our goal is to provide a spatially and temporally detailed description of how dopamine modulates perceptual judgements on a behavioural and neuronal level. Our experiments will also determine whether dopamine causally contributes to a stable and truthful mental representation of the sensory environment. They could pave the way for a mechanistic understanding of how disrupted dopamine neurotransmission might result in alterations of subjective experience that are a hallmark of neuropsychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia.

神经科学的一个基本挑战是了解神经元活动如何创造我们的感觉环境的主观体验。从主要感觉区域到较高认知区域（例如前额叶皮层）的几个大脑区域都参与将外部刺激转化为内部表示和行动决定。神经调节剂多巴胺经常与具有特征性感觉感知的特征性干扰的神经精神疾病有关。但是，多巴胺仍然尚不清楚是否可以控制感觉刺激的主观经验和解释。在这个项目中，我们将使用电学生理记录和在效率上进行行为分析在前额遗传学技术中将多巴胺神经传递的靶向扰动结合在前额叶皮层中。我们的目标是在空间和时间上详细描述多巴胺如何调节行为和神经元水平的感知判断。我们的实验还将确定多巴胺因果关系是否有助于感官环境的稳定而真实的心理表示。他们可以为机械理解多巴胺神经传递的方式铺平道路，这可能会导致主观经验的改变，这是精神分裂症等神经精神疾病的标志。