Neuronal basis for sensorimotor control during zebrafish prey capture behavior

斑马鱼猎物捕获行为中感觉运动控制的神经元基础

• 批准号: 7918938
• 负责人: Tod Rogers Thiele
• 金额: $ 5.22万
• 依托单位: UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2009
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2009-09-15 至 2011-09-14
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/7918938
• 关键词: Address; Behavior; Behavioral; Biological Models; Brain; Brain region; Calcium; Cell Nucleus; Chloride Ion; Chlorides; Confocal Microscopy; Coupled; Coupling; Cues; Data; Employee Strikes; Environmental Risk Factor; Fertilization; Fishes; Genes; Genetic; Goals; Halorhodopsins; Human; Image; Ion Channel; Knowledge; Light; Maps; Measures; Medial; Methodology; Methods; Microscopy; Midbrain structure; Monitor; Motor output; Movement; Neurons; Neurosciences; Photic Stimulation; Production; Pump; Research; Role; Sensory; Sensory Process; Series; Specificity; Spinal; Swimming; System; Testing; Transgenic Organisms; Translating; Vertebrates; Visual; Zebrafish; base; calcium indicator; design; in vivo; insight; nervous system disorder; neural circuit; neuromechanism; public health relevance; relating to nervous system; research study; sensorimotor system; superior colliculus Corpora quadrigemina; teleost; tool; two-photon; visual stimulus

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The broad goal of this proposal is to uncover neural mechanisms underlying sensorimotor integration. This goal will be addressed by investigating the neural circuitry that controls a finely coordinated and goal- directed zebrafish behavior, the capture of prey. Zebrafish are an emerging model for systems neuroscience and possess several significant experimental advantages, the combination of which is unparalleled in any other vertebrate system-. These advantages include powerful genetics, transparency for optophysiology, and a diverse behavioral repertoire that develops within a week of fertilization. Larval zebrafish use a series of low angle turns and tracking swims to orient toward and ultimately strike at their prey. This behavior is visually guided and relies heavily on high-order sensory processing by the optic tectum. The focus of this proposal is to define the role of identified reticulospinal neurons that have been implicated in prey capture. These neurons reside in the midbrain nucleus of the medial longitudinal fasciculus (nMLF), the teleost equivalent to the mammalian midbrain premotor region. Neurons in the nMLF receive direct input from the optic tectum and have projections that innervate spinal circuits; placing nMLF neurons at the intersection of sensory and motor systems involved in prey capture. The Aims in this proposal are designed to test specific hypotheses about how distinct neural subpopulations in the nMLF translate sensory information into motor output during the different components of prey capture. These hypotheses will be tested using a combination of behavioral analyses, in vivo calcium imaging and newly developed genetic approaches for activating and silencing discrete brain regions. The research is significant because it will advance our knowledge of a goal-directed vertebrate behavior, the mechanisms of which are poorly understood. The research is also likely to establish methodologies for characterizing other neural circuits in zebrafish. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Mapping neural circuits involved in behavior provides a framework in which to understand how genes and environmental factors that underlie neurological diseases produce their behavioral effects. Given the high degree of conservation across vertebrates, circuit mapping coupled with the vast pool of genetic data and tools in zebrafish should provide a powerful combination for gaining insights into human neurological diseases.

描述（由申请人提供）：本提案的广泛目标是揭示感觉运动整合的神经机制。这个目标将通过研究控制一个精细协调和目标导向的斑马鱼行为，捕获猎物的神经回路来解决。斑马鱼是系统神经科学的新兴模型，具有几个重要的实验优势，其组合在任何其他脊椎动物系统中是无与伦比的。这些优势包括强大的遗传学，光学生理学的透明度，以及在受精后一周内发展的多样化行为库。幼斑马鱼使用一系列低角度的转弯和跟踪游泳来确定方向并最终攻击猎物。这种行为是视觉引导的，严重依赖于视顶盖的高阶感觉处理。这项建议的重点是确定的网状脊髓神经元，已牵连在猎物捕获的作用。这些神经元位于中脑内侧纵束核（nMLF），硬骨鱼相当于哺乳动物中脑运动前区。nMLF中的神经元接收来自视顶盖的直接输入，并具有支配脊髓回路的投射;将nMLF神经元置于参与猎物捕获的感觉和运动系统的交叉点。在这个建议的目的是为了测试特定的假设如何不同的神经亚群在nMLF的感觉信息转化为运动输出在不同的组件捕获猎物。这些假设将使用行为分析，体内钙成像和新开发的激活和沉默离散脑区的遗传方法的组合进行测试。这项研究意义重大，因为它将促进我们对目标导向的脊椎动物行为的了解，其机制知之甚少。这项研究还可能建立表征斑马鱼其他神经回路的方法。公共卫生相关性：绘制参与行为的神经回路提供了一个框架，可以了解神经系统疾病背后的基因和环境因素如何产生行为效应。鉴于脊椎动物的高度保护，电路映射加上斑马鱼的大量遗传数据和工具应该为深入了解人类神经系统疾病提供强大的组合。