Adaptive design of the microbrain system : project achievements and perspectives

在1998 - 2001年“微脑系统适应性设计”项目中，从物种特异性和普遍性的角度研究了节肢动物微脑系统行为功能的生理机制。该项目产生了许多新的发现，包括蘑菇体的结构和功能，昆虫嗅觉系统的中枢投射和加工，机械感觉器官部分消融后中枢补偿过程的突触机制，以及微脑细胞结构的分子和发育知识。除了个人研究的推进外，微脑研究的新实验和理论工具的开发，包括分子生物学技术，小型电子集成电路器件和神经信息学理论，已在该项目中得到充分支持。通过这些结果以及在实验和计算方法中获得的许多其他结果，当前的项目强调了节肢动物大脑作为一个小系统在科学研究中的实际优势，其中分子，细胞和神经元回路结构和功能被理解为与自然条件下个体动物的行为直接相关。在1999-2001年的3年多的实质性研究期间，以首席研究员的身份参与了约50项研究，召开了14次国内外专题讨论会和会议，并在全国6个地方举办了研讨会。研究结果已在科学期刊上发表了200多篇研究论文。

Physiological mechanisms underlying behavioral functions of the arthropod microbrain system have been investigated in terms of species specificity and generality in the project "Adaptive design of the microbrain system" carried out from 1998 to 2001. The project yielded a number of new findings including the structure and function of the mushroom body, central projections and processing of the insect olfactory system, synaptic mechanisms of the central compensation process following partial ablation of mechanosensory organs, and molecular and developmental knowledge on the microbrain cytoarchitecture. In addition to propulsion of individual research, development of new experimental and theoretical tools for the microbrain research, including molecular biological techniques, small-scale electronic IC devices and neuro-informatics theory, has been fully backed up in this project. Through these results as well as many others obtained in experimental and computational approaches to the microbrain system, the current project emphasized practical advantages of the arthropod brain as a small system in scientific researches in which molecular, cellular and neuronal circuit structures and functions are to be understood in direct relation to the behavior of an individual animal in natural conditions. During the substantial period of research over 3 years (1999-2001), about 50 researches was enrolled in this project as chief researchers, domestic and international symposia and meetings were held 14 times, and workshops were conducted in 6 places throughout the country. The results have been published as more than 200 research articles in scientific journals.