CRCNS: Cortical network models of taste processing: dynamics and plasticity

CRCNS：味觉处理的皮层网络模型：动力学和可塑性

• 批准号: 7615882
• 负责人: PAUL MILLER
• 金额: $ 26.79万
• 依托单位: BRANDEIS UNIVERSITY
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2008
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2008-07-09 至 2013-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/7615882
• 关键词: Address; Amygdaloid structure; Animals; Area; Attention; Behavior; Behavioral; Brain; Cells; Childhood; Clinical; Computer Simulation; Condition; Coupling; Data; Disease; Epilepsy; Generic Drugs; Individual; Investigation; Lead; Learning; Memory; Modality; Modeling; Nausea; Neuromodulator; Neurons; Noise; Numbers; Obesity; Process; Property; Rattus; Research; Research Personnel; Role; Schizophrenia; Sensory Process; Standards of Weights and Measures; Stimulus; Synapses; Taste Disorders; Taste Perception; Testing; Theoretical model; Time; Training; Work; base; chemotherapy; conditioning; executive function; in vivo; inattention; insight; models and simulation; network models; novel; relating to nervous system; research study; response; sensory stimulus; simulation

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The investigators will combine experimental studies with computational simulations to uncover the neural underpinnings of taste processing. In so doing, they will provide insight into more general facets of sensory processing, such as the cause and effect of trial-to-trial variability, the role of attentiveness on cortical activity and the mechanisms of conditioning whereby a previously palatable substance is rendered unpalatable following a single association with nausea. These studies will use simulations to assess how variability at one scale can either enhance or reduce variability at a larger scale during normal cortical functioning. The studies will also use models and simulations, to uncover what changes in connections or cellular properties in a network of neurons lead to the altered behavioral response to a sensory stimulus seen in taste learning. Taste is an important, though underutilized, modality for addressing issues of sensory processing, since it has a strong connection to behavior and survival and can produce strong, rapid yet long-lasting learning. Moreover, recently the investigators have uncovered correlated changes of neural activity with the state of attentiveness of an animal during taste processing. The investigators will test how these attention-dependent changes of neural activity arise and will use simulations to assess the possible functional role of such changes. A transformative role of the research will be to change the way the apparent randomness of trial-to-trial variability is viewed. Rather than being a nuisance in the observation of neural data, the authors aim to show that such variability is an aspect of neural activity that can both provide information about underlying activity and be beneficial for some aspects of neural processing. An understanding of the modulation of noise, variability and oscillations with attentiveness will be beneficial for addressing deficiencies in all areas of sensory processing. More specifically, these investigations of what brain processes are involved in making one tastant highly desirable and another noxious may have far-flung clinical implications for, for instance, the treatment of some forms of obesity and the alleviation of childhood taste disorders caused by chemotherapy. Furthermore, an improvement in our understanding of normal cortical activity and its modulation by attention (via neuromodulators or by executive areas of the brain) will help us better address problems of abnormal cortical activity such as epilepsy and disorders of executive control associated with schizophrenia.

描述（由申请人提供）：研究人员将联合收割机实验研究与计算机模拟相结合，以揭示味觉加工的神经基础。通过这样做，他们将提供对感觉处理的更一般方面的洞察，例如试验间差异的原因和影响，注意力对皮层活动的作用以及调节机制，从而使先前可口的物质在与恶心的单一关联后变得不可口。这些研究将使用模拟来评估在一个尺度上的变异性如何在正常皮层功能期间在更大尺度上增强或减少变异性。这些研究还将使用模型和模拟来揭示神经元网络中连接或细胞特性的变化导致对味觉学习中观察到的感官刺激的行为反应发生改变。味觉是一种重要的，但未被充分利用的，用于解决感官处理问题的方式，因为它与行为和生存有很强的联系，可以产生强大，快速而持久的学习。此外，最近研究人员发现，在味觉加工过程中，神经活动的变化与动物的注意力状态相关。研究人员将测试这些依赖注意力的神经活动变化是如何产生的，并将使用模拟来评估这些变化可能的功能作用。这项研究的一个变革性作用将是改变人们对试验间变异性的明显随机性的看法。作者的目的不是在观察神经数据时造成麻烦，而是表明这种可变性是神经活动的一个方面，既可以提供有关潜在活动的信息，也有利于神经处理的某些方面。理解注意力对噪声、变异性和振荡的调节将有助于解决感觉处理所有领域的缺陷。更具体地说，这些关于大脑过程参与使一种促味剂非常受欢迎而另一种有害的研究可能具有广泛的临床意义，例如，治疗某些形式的肥胖症和减轻由化疗引起的儿童味觉障碍。此外，我们对正常皮层活动及其受注意力调节（通过神经调质或大脑的执行区域）的理解的提高将有助于我们更好地解决异常皮层活动的问题，如癫痫和与精神分裂症相关的执行控制障碍。