CRCNS: Linking Synaptic Populations and Computation Using Statistical Mechanics

由单个神经元执行的计算是由大量突触输入的整合产生的 分布在复杂的树枝状拓扑结构中。突触输入的变化很大;感觉驱动的 活动模式，激活概率，突触在树突拓扑结构中的位置，局部树突 组织和超微结构特征都被认为是决定突触如何形成的关键。 输入影响神经元的尖峰输出。突触输入的数量最终决定了 单个神经元可以执行的编码能力和计算。尽管如此，研究在很大程度上忽视了 单个神经元内的突触输入群体，而不是专注于细胞群体的活动，使用 生物物理模型或构建创建假设权重或突触的模型（例如，深度神经网络模型）。 网络）。因此，神经科学中的一个关键问题仍然是整体突触活动如何整合到神经元中。 以及描述神经计算的突触组织的基本原理。 为了解决这个问题，我们提出了一个紧密结合的实验理论方法。我们建议（1） 测量2/3层视觉上大量树突棘的感觉驱动活动模式 雪貂视觉皮层中的皮层神经元，以及（2）使用统计物理方法来表征 结构和计算的突触群体在多种情况下。因此，该项目将提供 关于大脑神经元突触结构的基础知识。的

Computations performed by single neurons result from integration of a large myriad of synaptic inputs distributed throughout complex dendritic topology. Synaptic inputs vary in substantial ways; sensory-driven activity patterns, probability of activation, synapse location within the dendritic topology, local dendritic organization, and ultrastructural characteristics are all thought to be critical for determining how synaptic inputs influence the spiking output of a neuron. Populations of synaptic inputs, ultimately, determine the coding capacity and computations single neurons can perform. Despite this fact, studies largely overlook the synaptic input population within a single neuron, instead focusing on the activity of cellular populations, using biophysical models or constructing models that create hypothetical weights or synapses (e.g. deep-neural networks). Thus, a critical question in neuroscience remains how ensemble synaptic activity is integrated in vivo and what are the fundamental principles of synaptic organization which describe neural computation. To address this issue, we present a tightly integrated experiment-theory approach. We propose to (1) measure the sensory-driven activity patterns of large populations of dendritic spines on layer 2/3 visual cortical neurons in ferret visual cortex in vivo, and (2) use a statistical physics approach to characterize the structure and computing of synaptic populations in multiple contexts. Thus, this project will provide fundamental knowledge about the synaptic architecture of neurons in the brain. The