Molecular Analysis of Visual Processing

描述（申请人提供）：我们建议开发一套分子工具来连接基因表达，并研究特定神经回路在视觉感知和行为中的作用。这些工具将适用于非人类灵长类动物的工作，它们在我们对神经回路的功能解剖、皮层的功能结构、研究复杂行为的能力以及在清醒、有行为的动物中结合生理和行为研究的能力方面具有明显的优势，因为它们与人类的关系密切。该项目的组成部分包括开发基于来自猴子大脑皮层的表达文库的基因微阵列，研究涉及特定行为的基因表达模式的高通量技术，与皮层功能结构和细胞类型相关的基因表达模式的解剖学研究，开发用于将基因传递到神经元的病毒载体，使用分子工具对特定细胞类别进行可逆失活，以及通过病毒转染改变基因表达水平来监测基因表达变化和改变功能的皮质可塑性模型。一旦发展起来，这些技术将使自上而下地理解基因表达模式和行为之间的联系成为可能。它们还将使改变高等动物的基因表达以研究行为的神经机制成为可能。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): We propose to develop a set of molecular tools to link gene expression to, and to study the role of specific neural circuits in, visual perception and behavior. These tools will be adapted for work in non-human primates, which have distinct advantages in our knowledge of the functional anatomy of neural circuits, the functional architecture of cortex, the ability to study complex behaviors and to combine physiological and behavioral studies in awake, behaving animals, and because of their close relationship with humans. The components of the project include developing gene microarrays based on an expression library derived from the monkey cerebral cortex, high throughput techniques for studying patterns of gene expression involved in specific behaviors, anatomical studies of the patterning of gene expression relative to cortical functional architecture and cell type, developing viral vectors for delivering genes to neurons, reversible inactivation of specific cell classes using molecular tools, and a cortical plasticity model for monitoring changes in gene expression and altering function by changing levels of gene expression via viral transfection. Once developed, these techniques will make possible a top-down understanding of the link between patterns of gene expression and behavior. They will also make it possible to alter gene expression in higher animals for the study of neural mechanisms of behavior.