Characterization of the early assembly of motor circuits in the embryonic chick

我们的实验室正在研究连接肌肉的神经元或运动神经元的胚胎发育。这些神经元通过一个叫做“轴突”的过程与二头肌或三头肌等肌肉相连，这个过程在原理上类似于电线。到目前为止，许多累积的实验结果表明，当轴突向目的地生长时，沿途的各种物质引导着它的前进。此外，最近的实验结果表明，沿着这些神经元传播的电脉冲（它们的活动）也参与了它们的发育。本研究计划的目标是了解这种活动如何影响神经元及其轴突的发育。我们打算通过记录不同运动神经元类型的活动来做到这一点，然后试图理解这些电脉冲如何帮助神经元连接到适当的目标肌肉。我们想做的一个实验是观察如果运动神经元的电活动发生改变，它们是否会正常发育。

Our lab is studying the embryonic development of neurons connecting to muscles, or motor neurons. These neurons connect to muscles such as the biceps or triceps through a process called "the axon" which in principle is similar to an electrical wire. So far much of the accumulated experimental results indicate that as the axon grows towards its destination, various substances along its path steer its progression. In addition, results from recent experiments indicate that the electrical impulses traveling along these neurons (their activity) also participate in their development. The goal of the research program in this proposal is to understand how this activity influences the development of the neuron and its axon. We intend to do this by recording the activity of the different motor neurons types and then try to understand how such electrical impulses might help to connect the neuron to the appropriate target muscle. One of the experiments we would like to carry out is to look whether motor neurons will develop normally if their electrical activity is changed.