Towards Mathematical Modeling of Neurological Disease from Cellular Perspective

“从细胞角度对神经系统疾病的数学建模”是一系列研讨会，将于2012年5月和6月在安大略省多伦多的菲尔兹研究所举行。振荡和其他复杂的动态行为与几种神经系统疾病有关。动物模型和帕金森患者？S病、精神分裂症、癫痫和睡眠障碍表现出大脑某些区域内神经元放电特性的变化。这些变化通常表现为神经尖峰活动、爆发和其他节律性行为的变化以及神经元放电率的变化之间的相关性增加。尽管节律性活动在认知加工中的功能作用仍然知之甚少，但很明显，这些病理节律依赖于特定的细胞类型和网络特性。最近的技术进步，如光遗传学，允许以特定的生物细胞为目标，并记录位于不同大脑区域的多个细胞。这为理论家提供了新的机会来模拟不同细胞类型和网络特性在神经元活动产生中的作用。将举办一系列五个研讨会，每个研讨会专门讨论一种神经系统疾病：帕金森？s疾病、精神分裂症、癫痫、老年痴呆症？S和麻醉/睡眠障碍。每次研讨会将汇集神经科学家、数学家和临床医生，以便与研讨会相关的最相关问题和最新研究？S的主题将从几个不同的角度提出。这样，讲习班将：(i)吸引新来者进入该领域；拓宽和深化该领域人员的观点；（iii）考虑哪些数学工具和分析最有帮助，哪些地方最需要进一步发展，以推动解决神经系统疾病。数百万人患有某种形式的神经系统疾病。实验表明，许多脑部疾病，包括帕金森？S疾病、精神分裂症、睡眠障碍和癫痫与病理性神经元放电模式的发作有关。例如，猴子和人类的记录都表明帕金森？S病与基底神经节内神经元间同步增加有关。神经元同步特性的改变也可能在癫痫和前额叶皮层及其他大脑区域的病理性放电模式中起关键作用，这与精神分裂症患者有关。虽然在开发用于识别神经系统疾病产生的细胞过程的实验技术方面取得了巨大进展，但这些病理放电模式的机制仍然知之甚少。越来越明显的是，数学模型以及对它们的计算和数学分析，可以在理解数据、检验假设和产生新假设方面发挥重要作用。将举办一系列五个研讨会，每个研讨会专门讨论一种神经系统疾病：帕金森？s疾病、精神分裂症、癫痫、老年痴呆症？S和麻醉/睡眠障碍。每个研讨会将讨论与研讨会主题相关的最新和相关的研究，并将汇集来自广泛学科的科学家。

"Towards Mathematical Modeling of Neurological Disease from Cellular Perspective," is a series of workshops to be held at the Fields Institute in Toronto, Ontario, during May and June 2012. Oscillations and other complex dynamic behaviors have been implicated in several neurological diseases. Both animal models and humans with Parkinson?s disease, schizophrenia, epilepsy and sleep disorders exhibit changes in the firing properties of neurons within certain brain regions. These changes often take the form of increased correlation in spiking activity, changes in bursting and other rhythmic behavior and changes in the firing rates of neurons. Although the functional role of rhythmic activity in cognitive processing remains poorly understood, it is clear that these pathological rhythms depend on specific cell types and network properties. Recent technological advances such as optogenetics allow for the targeting of specific biological cells and the recording from multiple cells lying in separate brain regions. This provides novel opportunities for theoreticians to model the role of different cell types and network properties in the generation of neuronal activity. A series of five workshops will be conducted, each devoted to a separate neurological disease: Parkinson?s disease, schizophrenia, epilepsy, Alzheimer?s and anesthesiology/sleep disorders. Each workshop will bring together neuroscientists, mathematicians and clinicians, so that the most relevant issues and latest research associated with the workshop?s topic will be presented from several different viewpoints. In this way, the workshops will: (i) attract newcomers to the field; (ii) broaden and deepen perspectives of those in the field; and (iii) consider what mathematical tools and analyses would be most helpful, and where further developments are most needed, to move forth in tackling neurological disease. Millions of people suffer from some form of neurological disease. Experiments have demonstrated that many brain disorders, including Parkinson?s disease, schizophrenia, sleep disorders and epilepsy, are associated with the onset of pathological neuronal firing patterns. For example, recordings from both monkeys and humans have shown that Parkinson?s disease is associated with increased synchronization among neurons within the basal ganglia. Changes in the synchronization properties of neurons may also play a critical role in epilepsy and pathological firing patterns within the prefrontal cortex, and other brain regions, have been implicated in patients suffering from schizophrenia. While there has been tremendous progress in developing experimental techniques for identifying cellular processes involved in the generation of neurological diseases, the mechanisms underlying these pathological firing patterns remain poorly understood. It has become increasingly evident that mathematical models, together with both computational and mathematical analysis of them, can play an important role in making sense of the data, testing hypotheses and generating new ones. A series of five workshops will be conducted, each devoted to a separate neurological disease: Parkinson?s disease, schizophrenia, epilepsy, Alzheimer?s and anesthesiology/sleep disorders. Each workshop will address the most recent and relevant research associated with the workshop's topic and will bring together scientists from a wide range of disciplines.