Collaborative Research: EAGER: Neurophysiological basis of the light-dependent magnetic compass in birds

探测地球磁场并利用这一信息来确定方向的能力在动物中很普遍。最近的证据支持化学，光依赖性，自由基对夜间迁徙鸣禽磁感受机制。拟议的工作的目标是测试的假设，即，鸟类视觉Wulst类似于哺乳动物的视觉皮层的一个子区域，处理光介导的磁罗盘信息，并探索编码在尖峰模式的空间磁地图的神经元。更好地理解“教科书”五种感官之外的更广泛的感官处理，为跨越多个学术水平的广泛教育影响提供了场所。该项目的研究目标将为两名研究生提供物理学，行为学和神经生物学接口的跨学科培训。其中一名PI是UCSD神经科学研究生项目的主任。该机构负责监督一个已建立且成功的K-12教育推广计划，其广泛目标是与圣地亚哥学生和社区成员分享大脑和神经科学研究的知识。研究生和PI将直接与圣地亚哥联合学区和其他附近学区的高中学生和教师合作，开发提供（和呈现）给每所学校的互动科学教学模块，并领导教师培训计划。该计划目前提供四个神经科学模块，可以由UCSD研究人员或经过该小组培训的高中教师领导。目前的模块介绍比较神经解剖学，脑解剖，电生理学和组织学。PI目前正在创建一个围绕感觉系统构建的第五个模块，并计划在这个新模块中包括磁接收。越来越多的证据支持鸟类前脑视觉区，集群N，参与处理信息，为夜间迁徙的鸣禽用于导航的光依赖磁罗盘。神经元对良好控制的磁场和视觉刺激的电生理反应尚未得到研究，这在我们对这种新感觉系统的生物学理解中留下了很深的空白。为了填补这一空白，PI利用了两个研究小组的跨学科专业知识：里兹实验室，专注于隐花色素（Cry）光磁感受的生物物理学，以及Gentner实验室，专注于神经元的感觉电生理学。Gentner小组将在Ritz小组提供的建模框架的基础上，测试Cry假说对神经元电生理光介导的磁响应的明确预测。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并被认为值得通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估来支持。

The ability to detect the earth's magnetic field and use this information for orientation is widespread among animals. Recent evidence supports a chemical, light-dependent, radical-pair magnetoreception mechanism in night-time migratory songbirds. The goal of the proposed work is to test the hypothesis that Cluster-N, a sub-region of the avian visual Wulst analogous to the mammalian visual cortex, processes light-mediated magnetic compass information, and to explore the magnetic map of space encoded in the spiking patterns of Cluster-N neurons. Better understanding of a wider range of sensory processing beyond the "textbook" five senses provides a venue for broad educational impacts that cut across multiple academic levels. The research objectives of the project will provide interdisciplinary training to two graduate students at the interface of physics, behavioral and neuro-biology. One of the PIs is a Director of the UCSD Neurosciences Graduate Program. which oversees an established and successful K-12 education outreach program, with the broad goal of sharing knowledge of the brain and neuroscience research with San Diego students and community members. Graduate students and PIs will work directly with high school students and teachers from San Diego Unified and other nearby school districts to develop interactive science teaching modules provided (and presented) to each school and lead a Teacher Training Program. The program currently offers four neuroscience modules, that can be led by either a UCSD researcher or high school teacher that has been trained by the group. Current modules introduce Comparative Neuroanatomy, Brain Dissection, Electrophysiology, and Histology. The PIs are currently creating a fifth module built around sensory systems, and plan to include magneto-reception in this new module.Converging evidence supports the involvement of an avian forebrain visual area, cluster-N, in processing information for the light-dependent magnetic compass that night-migratory songbirds use to navigate. The electrophysiological responses of Cluster-N neurons to well-controlled magnetic field and visual stimuli have not been examined, leaving a deep gap in our understanding of the biology of this novel sensory system. To fill this gap, the PIs exploit the interdisciplinary expertise of two research groups: the Ritz lab, focused on the biophysics of cryptochrome (Cry) photo-magnetoreception, and the Gentner lab, focused on the sensory electrophysiology of Cluster-N neurons. Building on a modelling framework provided by the Ritz group, the Gentner group will test explicit predictions of the Cry-hypothesis for electrophysiological light-mediated magnetic responses of Cluster-N neurons.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.