A Novel Software Tool for Controlling Behavioral and Neurophysiological Studies

用于控制行为和神经生理学研究的新型软件工具

• 批准号: 7991020
• 负责人: David J Freedman
• 金额: $ 7.8万
• 依托单位: UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2010
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2010-07-01 至 2012-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/7991020
• 关键词: Address; Age; Behavior; Behavior Control; Behavioral; Behavioral Paradigm; Benchmarking; Brain; Charge; Code; Cognition; Communities; Computer Hardware; Computer software; Custom; Data Analyses; Data Files; Development; Discipline; Documentation; Environment; Foundations; Functional Imaging; Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Goals; Human; Instruction; Laboratories; Learning; Maps; Measures; Mus; Neurosciences; Operating System; Output; Perception; Performance; Personal Computers; Primates; Process; Programming Languages; Psychophysics; Psychophysiology; Research; Research Personnel; Running; Science; Sensory; Software Tools; Solutions; Source Code; Stimulus; System; Writing; abstracting; auditory stimulus; behavior measurement; cognitive neuroscience; cognitive system; cost; design; flexibility; interest; meetings; millisecond; movie; neurophysiology; nonhuman primate; novel; programs; public health relevance; relating to nervous system; research study; response; software systems; tool; visual receptive field; visual stimulus; web site

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Systems and cognitive neuroscience depend on carefully designed and precisely implemented behavioral tasks to investigate neural phenomena. In most neuroscience laboratories, such tasks are implemented on a personal computer (PC) using software that is usually custom written by that lab for their specific needs, or by modifying preexisting software. Because many laboratories have developed separate solutions for their specific experiments, a modern, full-featured and flexible software solution is not currently available. The most commonly used software packages for controlling cognitive neuroscience experiments have become outdated due to their age, limited in their capabilities and flexibility, and difficult to use largely because of the requirement to construct behavioral tasks using low- level programming languages (e.g. C and C++) that are difficult to learn. To address these issues, we have developed a software system, called "Monkeylogic" (http://www.monkeylogic.net), that allows for straightforward coding and temporally-reliable execution of these tasks in Matlab, the most commonly used programming environment for data analysis in the neuroscience community. We find that Monkeylogic is capable of millisecond accuracy for presenting stimuli and measuring behavioral responses, and can control a wide range of behavioral tasks. Developing behavioral tasks is fast and easy compared to existing software solutions, and it runs on modern and inexpensive hardware and operating systems. Here, we propose to continue development of Monkeylogic in order to add the features necessary to make it the most comprehensive, flexible, and easy to use software solution for neurophysiological, psychophysical, and functional imaging studies of perception, cognition and behavior. Following the completion of this project, we intend to provide this software (along with the source code) free of charge to the scientific community with the hope that it will be a useful tool for a wide range of researchers. This software fills an important niche and satisfies and ever-growing demand for flexible software tools for controlling behavioral and sensory experiments. Thus, Monkeylogic will have a large positive impact on the ability of researchers to easily design and conduct studies aimed at understanding the brain mechanisms underlying perception, action and cognition. Due to its flexibility and large set of features, this software could be used by thousands of researchers across a wide range of behavioral and neuroscience disciplines. Furthermore, our intent to provide this software to the research community free of charge and with adequate documentation and support will maximize the impact and appeal of our software. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Systems and cognitive neuroscience depend on carefully designed and precisely implemented behavioral tasks to elicit the neural phenomena of interest. To facilitate this process, we have developed a software system that allows for the straightforward coding and temporally-reliable execution of these tasks in Matlab, a high-level programming language that is powerful, easy to use, and widely used in the behavioral and brain sciences. Our software has several advantages over existing systems including ease of use, compatibility with modern computer hardware and operating systems, low cost, and the ability to rapidly develop new behavioral paradigms. The goal of this project is to complete the development of this software system by adding critical features that are necessary for designing and controlling a wide range of behavioral, psychophysical and neurophysiological experiments.

描述（由申请人提供）：系统和认知神经科学依赖于精心设计和精确实施的行为任务来研究神经现象。在大多数神经科学实验室中，这些任务是在个人计算机（PC）上实现的，使用的软件通常是由实验室根据其特定需求定制编写的，或者通过修改已有的软件。由于许多实验室已经为他们的特定实验开发了单独的解决方案，因此目前还没有一个现代化的、功能齐全的和灵活的软件解决方案。用于控制认知神经科学实验的最常用的软件包由于其年龄而变得过时，其能力和灵活性有限，并且很大程度上由于需要使用难以学习的低级编程语言（例如C和C++）来构建行为任务而难以使用。为了解决这些问题，我们开发了一个软件系统，称为“Monkeylogic”（www.monkeylogic.net），它允许在Matlab中直接编码和暂时可靠地执行这些任务，Matlab是神经科学界最常用的数据分析编程环境。我们发现Monkeylogic能够以毫秒级的精度呈现刺激和测量行为反应，并且可以控制广泛的行为任务。与现有的软件解决方案相比，开发行为任务既快速又简单，并且它可以在现代且廉价的硬件和操作系统上运行。在这里，我们建议继续开发Monkeylogic，以增加必要的功能，使其成为最全面，灵活，易于使用的软件解决方案，用于感知，认知和行为的神经生理，心理物理和功能成像研究。该项目完成后，我们打算免费向科学界提供该软件（沿着源代码），希望它能成为广泛研究人员的有用工具。该软件填补了一个重要的利基市场，满足了对用于控制行为和感官实验的灵活软件工具不断增长的需求。因此，Monkeylogic将对研究人员轻松设计和进行旨在理解感知，行动和认知的大脑机制的研究的能力产生巨大的积极影响。由于其灵活性和大量功能，该软件可以被广泛的行为和神经科学学科的数千名研究人员使用。此外，我们打算免费向研究社区提供该软件，并提供足够的文档和支持，这将最大限度地提高我们软件的影响力和吸引力。 公共卫生相关性：系统和认知神经科学依赖于精心设计和精确实施的行为任务，以引发感兴趣的神经现象。为了促进这一过程，我们开发了一个软件系统，允许在Matlab中直接编码和暂时可靠地执行这些任务，Matlab是一种功能强大，易于使用，广泛用于行为和脑科学的高级编程语言。与现有系统相比，我们的软件具有多项优势，包括易用性、与现代计算机硬件和操作系统的兼容性、低成本以及快速开发新行为模式的能力。该项目的目标是通过添加设计和控制广泛的行为，心理物理和神经生理实验所必需的关键功能来完成该软件系统的开发。