Process models of associative learning and related plasticity in primary sensory cortex.

初级感觉皮层联想学习和相关可塑性的过程模型。

• 批准号: 419865818
• 负责人: Professor Dr. Cornelius Schwarz
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: Werner Reichardt-Centrum für integrative Neurowissenschaften (CIN)
• 依托单位国家: 德国
• 项目类别: Research Grants
• 财政年份: 2019
• 资助国家: 德国
• 起止时间: 2018-12-31 至 2022-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gepris.dfg.de/gepris/projekt/419865818?language=en
• 关键词: Process; models; associative; learning; related

The core of Pavlovian reflex conditioning is associative learning, linking the occurrence of a neutral conditioned stimulus (CS) to a biologically relevant unconditioned stimulus (US), which in turn leads to a reflexive unconditioned response (UR). The memory thus formed can be described as ‘storage of a spatio-temporal contingency’, and is often classified as implicit (procedural) memory. Beyond this core association, reflex conditioning in addition engages other, vastly different behavioral mechanisms. There is a critical contribution of cognitive processes, forming explicit (declarative) memory, which assure that the subject ‘understands the rule of the game’. Contextual information is stored as well, and last but not least, emotional processes factor in as motivational drive. Importantly, these processes potentially interact with each other and the core association. We call this diverse body of behavioral mechanisms and their interactions the task’s ‘process model’.Our previous work on the role of mouse BCx (barrel cortex; the whisker-related part of the primary somatosensory area) in association learning, demonstrated strong learning-related network and response plasticity formed by tactile trace eyeblink conditioning (TEBC). In the time domain, TEBC evoked learning related responses (LRA) during CS presentation, and interestingly, during the stimulus-free Trace period. Time-specific causal interference revealed that the first is instrumental for conditioned response (CR) generation, the core association, while the second is not. Thus, the found LRA may partially reflect ‘non-core’ aspects of the process model. The proposed project will investigate the hypothesis that BCx plasticity is related to cognitive processing and the formation of explicit memory.Using behavioral analysis we will firstly aim to find out whether mice engage explicit as well as implicit forms of learning during eyeblink conditioning (EBC). Mixed extinction learning of delay and trace variants of EBC will be employed to reveal the interaction of the two learning systems, as has been worked out previously in humans. In a next step using 2-photon microscopy, we will test whether the observed BCx spine plasticity is stable against systematic variation of the task’s process model. To this end, we will, secondly, train mice to delay and trace versions of EBC (D-T), as well as, thirdly, to silent associations (SiA) of two whiskers. The D-T experiments will give us insight whether BCx plasticity is due to interactions of explicit and implicit learning. The SiA experiments will provide information in how far emotional processes drive plasticity. In a last experiment, we will clarify whether the causal role of BCx plasticity on EBC learning is determined by spatio-temporal characteristics of neuronal changes during memory consolidation.

巴甫洛夫反射条件反射的核心是联想学习，将中性条件刺激（CS）的发生与生物相关的非条件刺激（US）联系起来，从而导致反射性非条件反应（UR）。由此形成的记忆可以被描述为“时空偶然性的存储”，并且通常被归类为内隐（程序性）记忆。除了这种核心联系，反射条件反射还涉及其他截然不同的行为机制。认知过程的重要贡献是形成外显（陈述性）记忆，确保受试者“理解游戏规则”。背景信息也被存储，最后但并非最不重要的是，情感过程作为动机驱动因素。重要的是，这些过程可能相互作用，并与核心协会。我们将这种多样化的行为机制及其相互作用称为任务的“过程模型”。我们之前关于小鼠BCx（桶状皮质;初级躯体感觉区与胡须相关的部分）在联想学习中的作用的工作，证明了强大的学习相关网络和触觉痕迹眨眼条件反射（TEBC）形成的反应可塑性。在时域中，TEBC诱发的学习相关的反应（LRA）在CS介绍，有趣的是，在无刺激跟踪期间。特定时间的因果干扰显示，第一个是工具的条件反应（CR）的产生，核心协会，而第二个不是。因此，所发现的LRA可以部分地反映过程模型的“非核心”方面。本研究拟通过行为学分析来探讨小鼠在眨眼条件反射（EBC）过程中是否进行了外显和内隐学习，从而验证BCx可塑性与认知加工和外显记忆形成有关的假说。EBC的延迟和踪迹变体的混合灭绝学习将被用来揭示这两个学习系统的相互作用，正如之前在人类中所发现的那样。在使用双光子显微镜的下一步中，我们将测试所观察到的BCx脊柱可塑性是否对任务过程模型的系统变化稳定。为此，我们将，第二，训练小鼠延迟和跟踪版本的EBC（D-T），以及，第三，沉默协会（SiA）的两个胡须。D-T实验将有助于我们了解BCx可塑性是否是外显学习和内隐学习相互作用的结果。SiA实验将提供有关情绪过程在多大程度上驱动可塑性的信息。在最后一个实验中，我们将澄清是否BCx可塑性EBC学习的因果作用是由记忆巩固过程中神经元变化的时空特征。