Sensorimotor Computations in M1 & 5d During Online Control of Reaching Movement

描述(由申请人提供)：本职业发展提案旨在为研究人员Truccolo博士提供在感觉运动神经生理学领域进行独立研究所需的实验专业知识。Truccolo博士的目标是将他在统计和计算建模方面的背景与神经生理学的积极实验工作结合起来，以研究相互作用的皮质网络的功能。该培训计划旨在加深对额顶感觉运动环在在线控制自愿运动中的作用的理解。具体地说，拟议的研究将测试计算模型的几个实验预测，该模型的假设是：1)初级运动皮质(M1)基于在顶叶皮质(5d)计算的运动误差，纠正到达运动的视觉和机械扰动；以及2)当关于手臂的视觉反馈不可用时，5d使用从本体感觉反馈和从M1接收的运动命令得出的手部位置的正向模型预测，以计算运动误差。独特的皮质内记录技术使用两个10x10电极阵列，将记录当猴子纠正到达运动的瞬时视觉和机械扰动时，M1和5d中的细胞群和局部场电位(LFP)的活动。将使用一个两连杆的机械臂来传递机械扰动。研究人员最近开发的统计方法将用于测试预测的感觉、运动和误差信号的存在，以及矫正运动期间M1和5d之间的预测相互作用。培训项目将在布朗大学神经科学系多诺霍博士的指导下进行。导师和环境是非常合适的：Brown是著名的神经技术和系统神经科学中心，Donoghue博士是感觉运动系统、多电极神经生理学和神经假体方面的领先专家。除了实验神经生理学的培训外，活动还将包括翻译神经科学方面的培训，涉及正在进行的皮质神经假体设备的临床试验。拟议中的计划将构成研究生涯的基础，其长期目标包括：1)揭示额顶网络病理引起的运动障碍的潜在机制；2)设计大脑皮质 神经假体设备，将感觉反馈整合到对机械臂的在线闭环控制中。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This career development proposal aims at providing the investigator, Dr. Truccolo, with the required experimental expertise for an independent research career in sensorimotor neurophysiology. Dr. Truccolo's goal is to integrate his background in statistical and computational modeling with active experimental work in neurophysiology to investigate the function of interacting cortical networks. The training program is designed to further the understanding of the role of fronto-parietal sensorimotor loops in the online control of voluntary movements. Specifically, the proposed research will test several experimental predictions of a computational model whose hypotheses are: 1) that primary motor cortex (M1) corrects for visual and mechanical perturbations of reaching movements, based on a motor error computed in parietal cortex (5d); and 2) that when visual feedback about the arm is unavailable, 5d uses a forward model prediction of the hand position, derived from proprioceptive feedback and motor commands received from M1, in order to compute the motor error. Unique intracortical recording technology using two 10X10 electrode-arrays will record the activities of cell ensembles and local field potentials (LFPs) in M1 and 5d as monkeys correct for transient visual and mechanical perturbations of reaching movements. A 2-link robot arm will be employed to deliver mechanical perturbations. Statistical methods recently developed by the investigator will be used to test for the existence of predicted sensory, motor and error signals as well as for predicted interactions between M1 and 5d during corrective movements. The training program will be conducted under the mentorship of Dr. Donoghue in the Department of Neuroscience at Brown University. The mentor and the environment are ideally suited: Brown is a well-known center for neuro-technology and systems neuroscience, and Dr. Donoghue is a leading expert in sensorimotor systems, multielectrode neurophysiology, and neural prostheses. In addition to training in experimental neurophysiology, activities will include training in translational neuroscience involving an ongoing clinical trial of cortical neuroprosthetic devices. The proposed program will form the basis for a research career whose long term goals include: 1) shedding new light on the mechanisms underlying movement disorders arising from pathologies of fronto-parietal networks, and 2) the design of cortical neuroprosthetic devices that incorporate sensory feedback in the online closed-loop control of robotic limbs.