How does our brain tell us where we are based on what we see and hear? - Neuronal basis of cross-modal sensory integration for navigation

我们的大脑如何根据我们所看到和听到的内容告诉我们我们在哪里？

• 批准号: 2547012
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: Queen Mary University of London
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Studentship
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2021 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=studentship-2547012
• 关键词: How; does; our; brain; tell

Several spatial cells have been discovered, including place cells in the hippocampus and gridcells in the medial entorhinal cortex. The activity of these cells provides an animal with aninternal representation of space as it explores an environment. However, a key unsolvedproblem is how spatial cells integrate multiple sensory inputs (such as visual, auditory,olfactory, etc) in order to form spatial representations.Virtual reality (VR) offers a powerful tool for investigating spatial cognition, allowingenvironmental manipulations that are impossible in the real world. We have recentlydeveloped a two-dimensional VR (2D VR) system for mice with mainly visual andmotor/proprioceptive inputs, allowing a close approximation of spatial representation in thereal world.The goal of this project is to study the integration of sensory inputs across modalities duringspatial navigation. In particular we aim to 1) Develop a new 2D VR, where both visual andauditory cues can be individually controlled and manipulated, and train animals to navigatein this multisensory VR. 2) Characterise activity of spatial cells in this multisensory VR, inparticular the topography of these spatial cells with respect to their response to sensoryinputs. 3) Examine how these spatial cells interact in order to integrate visual and auditoryinputs, forming a unified spatial representation. The primary techniques that will be usedinclude in vivo electrophysiological single-unit recording using tetrodes and Neuropixelprobes, as well as in vivo 2-photon imaging. Theoretical models will be constructed based onthe experimental results, which will be used to explain experimental outcomes and makefurther predictions and hypotheses for future directions.Experiments will be supervised mainly by the primary supervisor, while the modelling will beguided primarily by the secondary supervisor. Work will be carried out in both QMUL and UCL.

已经发现了几种空间细胞，包括海马体中的位置细胞和内侧内嗅皮层中的网格细胞。当动物探索环境时，这些细胞的活动为动物提供了空间的内部表征。然而，一个尚未解决的关键问题是空间细胞如何整合多种感觉输入（如视觉、听觉、嗅觉等）以形成空间表征。虚拟现实（VR）为研究空间认知提供了强大的工具，允许对现实世界中不可能的环境进行操作。我们最近为小鼠开发了一种二维 VR (2D VR) 系统，主要具有视觉和运动/本体感觉输入，从而可以接近现实世界中的空间表征。该项目的目标是研究空间导航期间跨模态的感觉输入的整合。我们的具体目标是 1) 开发一种新的 2D VR，其中视觉和听觉提示都可以单独控制和操作，并训练动物在这种多感官 VR 中导航。 2) 描述多感官 VR 中空间细胞的活动，特别是这些空间细胞对感官输入的响应的地形。 3）检查这些空间细胞如何相互作用以整合视觉和听觉输入，形成统一的空间表示。将使用的主要技术包括使用 tetrodes 和 Neuropixelprobes 进行体内电生理学单单元记录，以及体内 2 光子成像。根据实验结果构建理论模型，用于解释实验结果，并对未来方向做出进一步的预测和假设。实验主要由一级导师监督，建模主要由二级导师指导。工作将在 QMUL 和 UCL 进行。