Cortico-collicular pathways for the modulation of innate behaviour and their roles in learning

调节先天行为的皮质-丘脑通路及其在学习中的作用

• 批准号: 537190522
• 负责人: Professor Dr. Alexander Groh, Ph.D.
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: Institut für Physiologie und Pathophysiologie
• 依托单位国家: 德国
• 项目类别: Research Grants
• 资助国家: 德国
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gepris.dfg.de/gepris/projekt/537190522?language=en
• 关键词: Cortico; collicular; pathways; modulation; innate

This proposal aims to investigate the role of cortical pathways in modulating innate somatosensory behaviours mediated by the superior colliculus (SC) in mice. The central hypothesis is that cortical layer 5 inputs to the whisker SC can enhance or suppress innate behavioural responses to whisker stimuli, providing a mechanism for behavioural flexibility. The study will also explore the involvement of cortico-collicular pathways in learning and whether these connections can be modified through Hebbian plasticity mechanisms to generate long-lasting changes in innate behaviour. The project will utilize a newly established whisker stimulation paradigm to study SC-dependent startle responses and employ optogenetic techniques to target specific populations of cortex-recipient neurons in the SC. The findings from this study will contribute to our understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying innate behaviours and their modulation by cortical inputs, as well as shed light on the question of synaptic plasticity mechanisms in neuronal circuits for innate behaviours.

该建议旨在研究皮质途径在调节小鼠上丘（SC）介导的先天体感行为中的作用。中心假设是，对Whisker SC的皮质层5输入可以增强或抑制对晶须刺激的先天行为反应，从而提供了一种行为灵活性的机制。这项研究还将探讨皮质 - 胶体途径在学习中的参与，以及是否可以通过HEBBIAN可塑性机制来修改这些连接，从而产生先天行为的持久变化。该项目将利用新建立的晶须刺激范式来研究SC依赖性的惊吓反应，并采用光遗传技术来靶向SC中皮质转发神经元的特定种群。这项研究的发现将有助于我们理解先天行为的神经机制及其对皮质输入的调节，并阐明对先天行为的神经元电路中突触可塑性机制的问题。