A Probabilistic Strategy for Understanding Movement Selection and Choice

描述（由申请人提供）：我的研究项目的总体目标是了解基底神经节（BG）和上级丘（SC）在扫视眼球运动选择和决策中的作用。在这个应用程序中，我们专注于扩展我们最近的结果，从多个神经元记录在SC同时，多个神经元记录SC和BG结构，有输入到SC，黑质部网状（SNr）。我们有一个具体的目标;揭示在扫视选择和决策过程中SNr-SC通路内神经元的协调活动。为了实现我们的目标，我们提出以下建议：我们将实施一项决策任务，其中眼跳选择的难度级别被明确操纵，并且在感官确定性和不确定性的条件下眼跳选择的概率是不同的。我们将在执行此任务期间同时记录SNr和SC中的多个神经元。我们将测试的假设，SC和SNr神经元的活动是由选择难度和性能调制。我们预测，更难的选择和较差的性能将与较高水平的SNr活动和较低水平的SC活动。我们将实施我们的贝叶斯推理模型，并结合测量噪声相关性，以阐明在扫视选择的SNr-SC途径的作用。我们希望我们的结果将建立在越来越多的证据基础上，这些证据表明感觉运动脑区参与了与选择和决策有关的神经元处理。研究结果还将提供关于SNr与SC的关系以及该途径如何有助于扫视选择的关键和详细信息。他们还将提供第一个证据证明SNr在感知决策中的作用。最后，由于眼球运动异常是一个突出的症状，在一些BG和皮质BG疾病，如帕金森氏病，抽动秽语综合征和强迫症，我们的研究结果应该提供重要的见解，在许多疾病状态的神经病学的机制。 公共卫生相关性：在这个提议中概述的实验旨在揭示基底神经节和上级丘在眼动选择和知觉决策中的作用。由于眼球运动异常是一个突出的症状，在一些基底神经节和皮质基底神经节疾病，如帕金森氏病，抽动秽语综合征和强迫症，我们的研究结果应该提供重要的见解，在许多疾病状态的神经病学的机制。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The overall goal of my research program is to understand the role of the basal ganglia (BG) and superior colliculus (SC) in saccadic eye movement choice and decision-making. In this application we are focused on extending our recent results from multiple neuron recordings in SC to simultaneous, multiple neuronal recordings of SC and a BG structure that has inputs to the SC, the substantia nigra pars reticulata (SNr). We have one Specific Aim; to reveal the coordinated activity of neurons within the SNr-SC pathway during saccade choice and decision-making. To achieve our aim we propose the following: We will implement a decision task in which the difficulty level of the saccade choice is manipulated explicitly and the probability of the saccade choice in conditions of sensory certainty and uncertainty is varied. We will record simultaneously from multiple neurons in the SNr and the SC during performance of this task. We will test the hypothesis the activity of SC and SNr neurons is modulated by choice difficulty and performance. We predict that harder choices and poorer performance will be associated with higher levels of SNr activity and lower levels of SC activity. We will implement our Bayesian inference model and incorporates measured noised correlations to elucidate the role of the SNr-SC pathway in saccade choice. We expect our results will build on the growing body of evidence implicating sensorimotor brain regions in neuronal processing related to choice and decision- making. The results will also provide critical and detailed information about the relationship of the SNr to the SC and how this pathway contributes to saccade choices. They will also provide the first evidence for a role of the SNr in perceptual decision-making. Finally, since eye movement abnormalities are a prominent symptom in a number of BG and cortico-BG diseases such as Parkinson's disease, Tourette Syndrome and obsessive compulsive disorder our results should provide important insights into the mechanisms of symptomology in many disease states. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The experiments outlined in this proposal are designed to reveal insights into the role of the basal ganglia and superior colliculus in eye movement choice and perceptual decision-making. Because eye movement abnormalities are a prominent symptom in a number of basal ganglia and cortico-basal ganglia diseases such as Parkinson's disease, Tourette Syndrome and obsessive compulsive disorder, our results should provide important insights into the mechanisms of symptomology in many disease states.