Center for Dynamic Imaging of Nervous System Function

《生命科学》中经常断言，我们并不缺乏问题；相反，我们受到解决这些问题的技术的限制。在过去的十年里，已经开发了几种新技术来解决生物问题。然而，对于个体研究人员来说，使用这些新开发的技术的障碍往往是相当大的。该中心的目标是提供一个集中和配备人员的设施，使专家和新手都可以在他们的研究中使用最现代的研究工具，并配备这些工具 生理学研究中的动态成像仪器。我们将围绕三个核心开发一个动态成像核心，包括两个双光子显微镜、光谱探测共焦显微镜、全内反射荧光显微镜以及光解附件；数据分析核心将为中心显微镜收集的所有数据提供离线分析的机会；以及为中心动态成像核心的新用户和现有用户提供咨询核心。 该中心的目标分为三个科学集群：i)神经元发展，其中 项目将研究从干细胞生物学到神经元迁移和突触形成等一系列问题， Li)离子通道和突触传递的调节，其中我们的研究包括控制钙通道活性的蛋白质-蛋白质相互作用，受体的空间分布，以及控制神经元网络的突触的定位，以及Ill)Gila-神经元相互作用，其中我们将研究星形胶质细胞中的钙信号，离子通道在髓鞘形成中的作用，以及胶质释放的信使在突触形成中的作用。 建立这个动态成像中心将促进新的研究，并增强组成该中心的21个合格的N1NDS资助的实验室(包括34个N1NDS赠款)的现有研究。教职员工之间由此产生的协同互动将彻底改变我们研究神经系统功能基本功能的能力，并最终增强我们对这些功能在人类健康和疾病中的理解。

It is often averred in the Life Sciences that we are not short of questions; rather, we are limited by the availability of technologies to address these questions. During the past decade several new technologies have been developed to address biological problems. However, barriers to using these newly-developed technologies are often considerable for the individual investigator. The goal of this Center is to provide a centralized and staffed facility to allow both the expert and the novice to use the most modern research tools in their studies, and to equip these instruments for dynamic imaging in physiological studies. We will develop a Center around three cores Dynamic Imaging Core, containing, two two-photon microscopes, spectral detection confocal microscopes, total internal reflectance fluorescence microscope together with photolysis attachments; Data Analysis Core that will provide opportunities for off-line analysis of all data collected with the Center's microscopes, and Consultation Core for new and established users of the Center's Dynamic Imaging Core. The goals of this Center fall into three scientific clusters: I) Neuronal Development, in which ot projects will investigate problems ranging from stem cell biology to neuronal migration and synapse formation, lI) Regulation of Ion Channels and Synaptie Transmission, in which our studies include protein-protein interactions controlling calcium channel activity, the spatial distribution of receptors, and the localization of synapses controlling neuronal networks, and Ill) Gila-Neuron Interactions, in which we will investigate calcium signaling in astrocytes, the roles of ion channels in myelination, and the role of glial-released messengers in synapse formation. Establishing this Dynamic Imaging Center will catalyze new studies and augment existing studies in the 21 qualifying N1NDS-funded laboratories (including 34 N1NDS grants) that comprise this Center. The resultant synergistic interactions between faculty members will revolutionize our ability to study basic functions of the nervous system function and will ultimately enhance our understanding of these functions in human health and disease.