Computational, Physiological and Behavioral Analysis of Cortical Adaptation in Olfaction

这一建议提出了一种多学科合作的方法来理解所有神经元感觉系统的基本功能，即通过经验和过滤背景或生物学无关的刺激进行修改。本研究特别关注大鼠嗅球和嗅皮层的气味习惯。嗅觉系统代表了这类研究的理想系统，有几个原因，每一个都被提议的研究所利用。首先，哺乳动物的嗅觉系统在解剖学上相对简单，嗅觉皮层是进化上最古老的哺乳动物感觉皮层之一。其次，这种相对的简单性导致了对突触连接和传入和皮层内纤维系统的生理学以及神经调节系统对它们的调节的广泛了解。第三，这一知识使得计算模型得以发展，其中包括嗅球和梨状皮质神经元。具体来说，该项目将确定皮层神经元中气味习惯化的突触机制和习惯化的气味特异性，然后将电生理结果纳入皮层的计算模型，该模型将用于在气味环境中做出和测试气味习惯化和刺激背景分割的预测。该项目结合了两个活跃的研究小组的专业知识，专门研究感觉生理学和计算建模。这个研究环境将用于让来自不同背景的高中生到毕业生接触新的研究技术和概念方法。

This proposal presents a multidisciplinary, collaborative approach to understanding a basic function of all neuronal sensory systems, namely, modification by experience and filtering of background or biologically irrelevant stimuli. The proposal specifically focuses on odor habituation in rat olfactory bulb and cortex. The olfactory system represents an ideal system for such studies for several reasons, each of which is taken advantage of by the proposed studies. First, the mammalian olfactory system is anatomically relatively simple, with the olfactory cortex one of the evolutionarily oldest mammalian sensory cortices. Second, this relative simplicity has resulted in extensive knowledge of synaptic connections and physiology of both afferent and intracortical fiber systems and their regulation by neuromodulatory systems. Third, this knowledge has allowed development of computational models which include both olfactory bulb and piriform cortical neurons. Specifically the project will determine the synaptic mehcnaisms of odor habituation and odor-specificity of habituation in cortical neurons and then incorporate the electrophysiological results into a computational model of the cortex which will be used to make and test predictions about odor habituation and stimulus-background segmentation in an odor environment. The project combines the expertise of two active research groups specializing in sensory physiology and computational modeling. This research environment will be used to expose students, high school through graduate from diverse backgrounds to new research techniques and conceptual approaches.