Central Processing of Electrosensory Information in MormyridFish

除了著名的电鳗之外， 已知有电器官，使用弱电器官 爆炸物处理（EOD）有三个主要功能。 电定位是 像海豚一样"主动地"和"被动地"使用 用于回声定位和被动收听的听力，以及 爆炸物处理的变化用于 个体 持续放电产生电场 在鱼的周围有一个特殊的形状， 一类用于"主动"电定位检测的受体 在这个领域的变形。 这些信号是由传入神经 电感觉的mormyromast区域的神经 侧线叶（ELL），位于中脑。 这个项目 专注于表征的生理和形态， 在这个重要的区域，不同的细胞类别， 现在所知甚少。 使用外部人工 电刺激意味着神经系统的许多可概括的方面 可以在这个大脑回路中研究时间关系。 精确 在这个地区的形态将需要了解如何 解剖学上的局部回路有助于处理。 ELL 与小脑有一些相似之处， 同样有趣的时间和可塑性控制机制。 结果将是理解电感觉的基础 机制，也将有重要的影响，一般 感觉运动整合和神经元 处理.

Several fish species, besides the famous electric eel, are now known to have electric organs, and use weak electric organ discharges (EOD) for three main functions. Electrolocation is used both "actively" and "passively" much as a dolphin can use hearing for both echolocation and for passive listening, and variations in EOD are used for communication between individuals. The continual discharge produces an electric field of a particular shape around the fish, and the "mormyromast" class of receptors for "active" electrolocation detect deformations in this field. These signals are sent by afferent nerves to the mormyromast region of the electrosensory lateral-line lobe (ELL), in the midbrain. This project concentrates on characterizing the physiology and morphology of the different cell classes in this important area, where very little is now known. The ease of using external artificial electric stimuli means that many generalizable aspects of neural timing relations can be studied in this brain circuitry. Precise morphology in this region will be needed to understand how the anatomical local circuits contribute to the processing. The ELL has some similarity to the cerebellum, and may well reveal equally interesting mechanisms of timing and plasticity control. Results will be fundamental for understanding electrosensory mechanisms, and also will have important implications for general understanding of sensorimotor integration and neuronal processing.