Neuronal Dynamics and the Basal Ganglia

基底神经节是一组在运动产生中起重要作用的核。基底神经节功能障碍与帕金森病和亨廷顿氏舞蹈症等运动障碍有关。基底神经节内的结构实际上是最近治疗性外科手术的目标，包括苍白球切开术和深部脑刺激。大量实验表明，基底神经节内的神经元表现出多种动态行为；此外，正常和病理状态下的神经元活动模式不同。这些神经放电模式的起源和其背后的机制都不为人所知。该项目的主要目标是根据实验数据为基底神经节活动开发详细的计算模型，并开发用于分析这些模型的数学工具。研究者系统地研究了在广泛的兴奋-抑制性神经元网络中发现的复杂活动模式的机制。其中包括最近建立的所谓基底神经节间接通路内的神经元模型。他还使用几何的、动态系统的方法来探索这些网络如何改变来袭的射击模式。研究者开发了一个基底神经节神经元活动的计算模型。该模型用于制定和检验关于基底神经节在健康和患病状态下的功能作用的假设。随着它的发展，该模型可以作为一种工具，用于测试关于基底神经节功能的假设，运动障碍中发展的病理，以及通过深部脑刺激（DBS）等治疗干预可能证明有效的机制。特别是，本研究的一个核心方面是对DBS如何减轻帕金森运动症状的假设进行验证。这可能会导致新的策略，星展银行可以应用。这个项目的主题为跨学科研讨会、讲习班和合作提供了巨大的机会。首席研究员一直非常积极地培养本科生、研究生和博士后。他在国际会议上组织了许多研讨会，并在几个夏季教育项目中授课。这些活动的主要目标是帮助培养一个来自数学生物科学不同学科的学者社区。

Terman The basal ganglia are a group of nuclei that play an important role inthe generation of movement. Dysfunction of the basal ganglia is associatedwith movement disorders such as Parkinson's disease and Huntington'schorea. Structures within the basal ganglia have in fact been the targetof recent therapeutic surgical procedures including pallidotomy and deepbrain stimulation. Numerous experiments have demonstrated that neuronswithin the basal ganglia display a variety of dynamic behaviors; moreover,patterns of neuronal activity differ between normal and pathologicalstates. Neither the origins of these neural firing patterns nor themechanisms that underlie the patterns are understood. The primary goals ofthe project are to develop detailed computational models, based onexperimental data, for basal ganglia activity and to develop mathematicaltools for analyzing these models. The investigator systematically studiesmechanisms underlying complex activity patterns found in a broad class ofexcitatory-inhibitory neuronal networks. These include a recentlyconstructed model for neurons within the so-called indirect pathway of thebasal ganglia. He also uses geometric, dynamical systems methods toexplore how these networks transform incoming firing patterns. The investigator develops a computational model for neuronal activityin the basal ganglia. The model is used to formulate and test hypothesesconcerning the functional role of the basal ganglia in both healthy anddiseased states. As it evolves, the model serves as a tool that can beused to test hypotheses about the function basal ganglia, the pathologiesthat develop in motor disorders, and the mechanisms through whichtherapeutic interventions such as deep brain stimulation (DBS) may proveeffective. In particular, a central aspect of this research is to testhypotheses about how DBS reduces parkinsonian motor symptoms. This maylead to new strategies by which DBS can be applied. Topics in this projectpresent tremendous opportunities for cross-disciplinary seminars, workshopsand collaborations. The principal investigator has been very active in thetraining of undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral students. He hasorganized numerous workshops at international conferences and has lecturedat several summer educational programs. A primary goal of these activitiesis to help nurture a community of scholars from different disciplinesinvolved in the mathematical biosciences.