Optical Analysis of Distributed Processing in Neural Systems

该项目旨在揭示神经系统中“分布处理”的基本机制，并由三个研究小组组成的国际合作组织，这些研究小组使用电压敏感染料进行神经元活动的光学记录。从1995年到1997年，进行了以下研究：K.Kamino等：(1)从“分布加工”的角度分析了胚鸡和大鼠脑干核（sorit束核、迷走神经背运动神经和歧义核）神经元活动时空格局的个体组织。(2)对鸡胚脊髓的功能组织进行了研究。（这项研究与L.B.Cohen小组的研究有关。）L.B.Cohen’s组：(1)研究了海兔腹部神经节的分配加工机制。(2)分析了鸡胚脊髓运动神经元的细化模式。（这项研究与上面开始的K.Kamino小组的研究有关。）(3)研究了神经信息在海龟视觉皮层的传播模式和分布加工。B.M.Salzberg组：(1)从几个神经节光学记录豚鼠小肠粘膜下神经丛的神经元活动，分析神经元信息在神经元间和神经节间的分布加工。(2)研究了小鼠下丘脑-垂体系统兴奋-分泌偶联的分布加工。

This project is aimed at revealing the basic mechanisms of the "distributive processing" in the nervous system, and is organized as the international collaboration of three research groups which have a common technique for optical recording of neuronal activities using voltage-sensitive dyes. From 1995 to 1997, following studies have been carried out.1. K.Kamino's group :(1) The ontogenic organization of spatiotemporal patterns of neuronal activities in the nuclei of the brainstem (nucleus tractus soritarii, dorsal motor nerve of the vagus nerve, and nucleus ambiguus) of the embryonic chick and rat were analyzed from the view point of "distributive processing".(2) The functional organization of the spinal cord of the chick embryo was also studied. (This study was related that of L.B.Cohen's group.)2. L.B.Cohen's group :(1) The distributive processing mechanism in the abdominal ganglion of Aplysia was studied.(2) The fining pattern of the motor neurons of the embryonic chick spinal cord was analyzed. (This study was related to that of K.Kamino's group as started above.)(3) The spreading pattern and distributive processing of the neural information in the turtle visual cortex were studied.3. B.M.Salzberg's group :(1) Neuronal activities of the submucous plexus of guinea pig small intestine were recorded optically from several ganglia, and the inter-neuronal and inter-ganglionic distributive processing of neuronal information was analyzed.(2) The distributive processing of excitation-secretion coupling of mouse hypothalamo-pituitary system was studied.