CRCNS: Physiological and Computational Approaches to Understanding Neuronal Synch

描述（由申请人提供）：神经元在一起放电时更有效地传递信息。即使同步的适度增加也会导致下游神经元的放电率发生很大变化。同步活动，特别是振荡同步，在许多脑网络中被观察到，并且被认为在刺激的表征、活动的传播和计算中起重要作用。同步性的改变，特别是在伽马频率范围内，最近被牵连在一些认知障碍的病因，最显着的精神分裂症。然而，将这些变化与突触和细胞特性的变化同步联系起来已经被证明是困难的。在这里，我们描述的实验设计，以检查一种新的机制，我们称之为随机同步的同步振荡的产生。最近，大量的兴趣已经出现在理论工作中描述的振荡神经元的非周期性的，部分相关的，嘈杂的输入同步。我们已经通过实验表明，这种输入可以产生振荡的同步在解耦的神经元（嗅球二尖瓣细胞），并提出了这种机制可能占快速（伽马频率）同步振荡的嗅球的发展。在这里，我们提出了更广泛的神经元噪声诱导同步的进一步理论和实验研究。具体来说，我们建议分析噪声引起的同步的噪声输入的属性和振荡器的动态的依赖。通过实验和理论研究相结合，我们将确定哪些通道类型是最关键的同步性的发展，通过这种机制。我们还建议研究噪声引起的和连接引起的同步的相互作用，因为在许多情况下，这两种现象都可能涉及在整个大脑网络中产生同步活动的模式。通过探索这种新的伽马振荡机制，我们希望更好地了解细胞和电路水平的属性的改变如何干扰正常伽马振荡的发展。这项工作对于理解精神分裂症等与伽马活动改变有关的疾病具有重要意义。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Neurons convey messages more effectively when firing together. Even modest increases in synchronization result in large changes in firing rate for downstream neurons. Synchronous activity, especially oscillatory synchrony, is observed in many brain networks and is thought to play an important role in representation of stimuli, propagation of activity and computation. Alterations of synchrony, especially in the gamma frequency range, have recently been implicated in the etiology in a number of cognitive disorders, most notably schizophrenia. However, linking the alterations in synchrony with the alterations in synaptic and cellular properties has proven difficult. Here we describe experiments designed to examine a novel mechanism for the generation of synchronous oscillations which we call stochastic synchrony. Recently, substantial interest has arisen in theoretical work describing synchronization of oscillating neurons by aperiodic, partially correlated, noisy inputs. We have shown experimentally that such inputs can generate oscillatory synchrony in uncoupled neurons (olfactory bulb mitral cells) and have proposed that this mechanism may account for the development of fast (gamma frequency) synchronous oscillations in the olfactory bulb. Here we propose further theoretical and experimental investigations of noise-induced synchronization in neurons more generally. Specifically, we propose to analyze the dependence of noise-induced synchronization on properties of the noisy inputs and on the dynamics of the oscillators. By combined experimental and theoretical investigation, we will determine which channel types are most critical for the development of synchrony by this mechanism. We also propose to study the interaction of noise-induced and connectivity-induced synchronization, as in many cases these two phenomena are likely to both be involved in generating patterns of synchronous activity across brain networks. By exploring this novel mechanism of gamma oscillations we hope to better understand how alteration of cellular and circuit-level properties can interfere with the development of normal gamma oscillations. Such work will have importance for understanding disorders such as schizophrenia, which are associated with altered gamma activity.