Functional organization and physiology of the afferent neuronal network in the lateral line system of the larval zebrafish (Danio rerio)

感觉系统对于动物对环境做出适当反应至关重要。鱼类拥有由毛细胞组成的侧线系统，以检测水流的变化。毛细胞系统，如侧线或听觉系统是高度保守的脊椎动物物种。因此，相对简单的侧线的发现可以为我们了解人类的毛细胞系统提供信息。在侧线的情况下，机械刺激（例如喷水）或在听觉系统的情况下，声波会使毛细胞偏转。然后，毛细胞产生信号，该信号被翻译到一阶传入神经元，该一阶传入神经元将该信息传递到大脑进行进一步处理。本研究的目的是探讨传入神经元在侧线信号处理中的作用。我们将利用电生理学，光学和遗传工具在斑马鱼幼体中的融合，以了解刺激是如何在大脑中编码处理的。斑马鱼幼体非常适合这个问题，因为它是透明的，神经系统是直接可见的，可以在完整的动物中进行实验操作。这将使我们能够将我们的发现外推到其他毛细胞系统，并提高我们对每年影响数百万人的听力障碍的理解。

Sensory systems are critical for animals to appropriately respond to their environment. Fish possess a lateral line system, composed of hair cells, to detect changes in water flow. Hair cell systems such as the lateral line or the auditory system are highly conserved across vertebrate species. Therefore, findings from the relatively simple lateral line can inform our understanding of hair cell systems in humans.A mechanical stimulus such as a water jet in the case of the lateral line or a sound wave in the case of the auditory system deflects hair cells. The hair cells then generate a signal that is translated to first order afferent neurons which convey this information to the brain for further processing. The goal of this project is to explore the role of afferent neurons in signal processing of the lateral line. We will leverage the convergence of electrophysiological, optical and genetic tools in the in larval zebrafish to understand how stimuli are coded for processing in the brain. The zebrafish larva is ideally suited for this question, since it is transparent and the nervous system is directly visible and accessible for experimental manipulation in the intact animal. This will allow us to extrapolate our findings to other hair cell systems and improve our understanding of hearing disorders which affect millions of people each year.