Processing of visual information by spatial memory circuits in the avian brain

鸟类大脑中的空间记忆回路处理视觉信息

• 批准号: 10570644
• 负责人: Hannah L Payne
• 金额: $ 13.62万
• 依托单位: COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-01-01 至 2024-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10570644
• 关键词: Address; Alzheimer' s Disease; Anatomy; Animals; Apical; Architecture; Area; Back; Behavior; Behavioral; Birds; Brain; Cells; Code; Data; Data Set; Development Plans; Disease; Dissociation; Engineering; Ensure; Environment; Event; Evolution; Exhibits; Exposure to; Eye Movements; Feedback; Food; Future; Goals; Head; Health; Hippocampus; Human; Learning; Location; Mammals; Memory; Mentors; Modeling; Neural Network Simulation; Neural Pathways; Neurons; Neurosciences; Organism; Pathway interactions; Pattern; Perception; Phase; Positioning Attribute; Primates; Process; Property; Publishing; Recording of previous events; Research; Research Personnel; Research Project Grants; Retina; Retrieval; Rodent; Role; Saccades; Silicon; Site; Specialist; Structure; System; Techniques; Technology; Testing; Thalamic structure; Time; Toy; Training; Universities; Vertebrates; Vision; Visual; Visual Cortex; Visuospatial; Washington; Work; analog; bird song; career; career development; complex data; design; experience; extrastriate visual cortex; gaze; imprint; improved; innovation; insight; member; memory process; memory retrieval; model organism; neural; novel; optogenetics; sensory input; spatial memory; visual information; visual process; visual processing

PROJECT SUMMARY / ABSTRACT. Research Project: Spatial memory – memory of where an event happened or an object was located – depends on the hippocampus in a wide range of vertebrate species, including mammals and birds. In humans, most spatial memories are formed through visual experience. However, it is unclear how visual information is processed by hippocampal memory circuits to support spatial memory formation. Two obstacles have hindered answering this question: 1) the complexity of networks in which the hippocampus is embedded in mammals, and 2) the need to observe many independent memories being formed and recalled at identifiable moments in time. This project overcomes these obstacles by leveraging the unique advantages of the black-capped chickadee Poecile atricapillus, a food-caching bird that depends on an intact hippocampus to retrieve previously hidden food items. Chickadees rely predominantly on vision for navigation, as in humans. They also form many independent memories at precisely identifiable times. Finally, the neural pathways carrying visual input from the retina to the hippocampus in birds are relatively simple. I will exploit these features to dissect the transformation of lower-order visual inputs into the observed spatial firing patterns and memory functions of the hippocampus. I will (1) dissociate visual and spatial representations in the chickadee hippocampus using a novel discrete foraging task, (2) compare the visual and spatial representations in a visual cortex analog that provides monosynaptic input to the hippocampus, and (3) causally test the role of this visual input pathway for hippocampal coding and memory. Hippocampal circuits are highly similar in mammals and birds, so the results promise to reveal fundamental computations that are shared across vertebrates. Further, this project is broadly relevant for hippocampal disorders including Alzheimer’s disease, which is associated with visuospatial deficits and altered eye movements. Candidate and Career Goals: I aim to establish an independent lab studying how visual information is processed by memory circuits. I have a background in engineering and vision-related systems neuroscience, and have made foundational discoveries in the hippocampus of food-caching birds, including recently publishing the first neural recordings in these species. This history, combined with the scientific and professional training planned during the K99 phase of this project, positions me uniquely to succeed in my goals. Career Development Plan: I will be trained by mentors Dr. Dmitriy Aronov and Dr. Larry Abbott at Columbia University, and Dr. Elizabeth Buffalo at the University of Washington. Dr. Aronov is an expert in the experimental techniques I will learn, while Dr. Abbott is a world-renowned theoretical neuroscientist who will provide training in the analysis and modelling of complex datasets. Dr. Buffalo pioneered the study of visual representations in the primate hippocampus and will advise on task design and analysis, while ensuring that the project is broadly relevant to hippocampus researchers across species. All mentors will provide career development training and advice for my transition to independence.

项目总结/摘要。 研究项目：空间记忆-记忆的地方发生的事件或物体的位置- 在包括哺乳动物和鸟类在内的许多脊椎动物物种中，海马体都起着关键作用。在人类中， 大多数空间记忆是通过视觉经验形成的。然而，目前还不清楚视觉信息是如何 由海马记忆回路处理以支持空间记忆形成。两个障碍阻碍了 回答这个问题：1）哺乳动物海马体嵌入网络的复杂性， 2）需要观察许多独立的记忆在可识别的时刻形成和回忆， 时间本项目通过利用黑顶的独特优势克服了这些障碍 美洲山雀Poecile atricapillus，一种依靠完整的海马体来获取食物的鸟类 以前隐藏的食物。与人类一样，山雀主要依靠视觉导航。他们还 在可精确识别的时间形成许多独立的记忆。最后，携带视觉信号的神经通路 鸟类从视网膜到海马体的输入相对简单。我将利用这些特征来剖析 将低阶视觉输入转化为观察到的空间放电模式和记忆功能的研究。 海马体。我将（1）分离视觉和空间表征在山雀海马使用一个 新的离散觅食任务，（2）比较视觉和空间表征的视觉皮层模拟， 为海马提供单突触输入，以及（3）因果地测试这种视觉输入通路的作用， 海马编码和记忆。哺乳动物和鸟类的海马神经回路高度相似， 有望揭示脊椎动物之间共享的基本计算。此外，该项目广泛 与海马疾病相关，包括与视觉空间缺陷相关的阿尔茨海默病 以及眼球运动的改变候选人和职业目标：我的目标是建立一个独立的实验室，研究 视觉信息是如何被记忆回路处理的我有工程和视觉相关的背景 系统神经科学，并在食物储藏鸟类的海马体中取得了基础性的发现， 包括最近发表了这些物种的第一个神经记录。这段历史，加上 在该项目的K99阶段计划的科学和专业培训，使我成为独一无二的 实现我的目标。职业发展计划：我将接受导师Dmitriy Aronov博士和Larry博士的培训 哥伦比亚大学的雅培博士和华盛顿大学的伊丽莎白布法罗博士。阿罗诺夫博士是一位 我将学习的实验技术专家，而Abbott博士是世界知名的理论专家。 神经科学家将提供复杂数据集分析和建模方面的培训。布法罗医生 开创了灵长类海马体视觉表征研究的先河，并将为任务设计提供建议， 分析，同时确保该项目是广泛相关的海马研究人员跨物种。所有 导师将为我提供职业发展培训和建议，帮助我过渡到独立。