Unraveling the Neural Bases of Body Schema

揭开身体图式的神经基础

• 批准号: 10696706
• 负责人: Fan Wang
• 金额: $ 111.3万
• 依托单位: MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-09-08 至 2028-07-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10696706
• 关键词: 3-Dimensional; Algorithms; Area; Awareness; Back; Behavior; Body part; Brain; Cells; Computer Analysis; Conscious; Culicidae; Data; Esthesia; Hand; Human; Individual; Knowledge; Mammals; Mus; Neck; Neurobiology; Neurosciences; Nose; Output; Positioning Attribute; Process; Research; Self Perception; Subconscious; Testing; Touch sensation; Update; autism spectrum disorder; awake; base; body position; insight; motor control; mouse model; multi-electrode arrays; nervous system disorder; neural; neural circuit; neuromechanism; presynaptic

The brain of an awake, mature human (and other mammals) consciously and subconsciously “knows” the body’s configuration in 3D space on a moment-by-moment basis. This is often referred to as the “body schema” representation in the brain. Body schema is critical for self- awareness and for motor control. For example, we can effortlessly use our hand to touch our nose or swat a mosquito that has just landed on the back of the neck, regardless of the starting positions of the hand, because we have an intimate knowledge of the body’s position in 3D space at any given moment. Yet how the brain generates body schema representation remains largely unknown. Here we propose to systematically examining the neural circuits and mechanisms that compute the 3D positions of all body segments (individually or combined) with egocentric reference frames in the mouse brain. This is achieved by (1) developing an algorithm, BodySchemeJ, that generates fully parameterized moment-to-moment description of full body configurations in freely moving mice; (2) performing large-scale multi-electrode array recordings from multiple brain areas with concurrent tracking of body configurations in free- moving behaviors; (3) computational analysis of neural data and testing the hierarchical body schema representation hypothesis; and (4) delineating the presynaptic inputs and output targets of identified body schema cells. Finally, since body schema representation deficits are observed in many neurological diseases, we will test how body schema is abnormally encoded in a mouse model of autism. The pioneering knowledge gained from this research will help to establish a new conceptual framework to advance our understandings of quintessential neurobiological processes such as self/body awareness, localizing sensations to body parts in 3D space, action selection and motor control.

有意识地和潜意识的清醒，成熟的人（和其他哺乳动物）的大脑 “知道”人体在3D空间中的配置。这通常是 被称为大脑中的“身体模式”表示。身体模式对于自我至关重要 意识和电动机控制。例如，我们可以轻松地用手触摸 鼻子或摇动刚刚降落在脖子后部的蚊子 手的位置，因为我们对人体在3D中的位置有深入的了解 在任何给定时刻的空间。然而大脑如何生成身体模式表示仍然存在 在很大程度上未知。在这里，我们建议系统地检查神经回路和 计算所有身体段的3D位置（单独或组合）的机制 小鼠大脑中的自我为中心的参考框架。这是通过（1）开发一个 BodySchemej算法，生成了完全参数化的矩至时的描述 自由移动小鼠中的全身配置； （2）执行大型多电极阵列 来自多个大脑区域的记录，并同时跟踪自由的身体配置 移动行为； （3）神经数据的计算分析和测试层次体系 模式表示假设； （4）描述突触前输入和输出目标 已识别的身体模式细胞。最后，由于观察到身体模式表示定义 在许多神经系统疾病中，我们将测试如何在A中编码身体模式 鼠标自闭症模型。从这项研究中获得的开创性知识将有助于 建立一个新的概念框架，以提高我们对典型的理解 神经生物学过程，例如自我/身体意识，对身体部位的本地感觉 3D空间，动作选择和电动机控制。