NEUROPHYSIOLOGICAL BASIS OF CIRCADIAN ORGANIZATION

在过去的十年里，我们在认识上取得了稳步的进展 昼夜节律的生理基础。在很大程度上， 通过使用无脊椎动物模型取得了进展- 显示脊椎动物昼夜节律的形式特性的制剂 但允许进行细胞水平分析的系统。腹足类海兔 软体动物，一直是一种重要的无脊椎动物模型，主要是由于 每只眼睛内都有精确的昼夜节律起搏器。 然而，海兔的准备工作遇到了一些重要的问题 弱点包括存在大量的小细胞在 视网膜和缺乏健壮的自由奔跑运动节奏。通过一个 调查了海洋腹足类，我们已经确定了眼部起搏 房地产是比较普遍的。另一种叫Bulla Gouldiana， 拥有特别的希望，因为它展示了一种非常明显的运动性 节奏。此外，视网膜大泡包含的细胞比 海兔眼，看起来特别适合细胞内 分析。我们打算利用Bulla的准备工作来努力 解决两个问题。首先，我们打算确定个人是否 视网膜细胞是昼夜节律的起搏器，或者是否出现长周期 来自细胞间的相互作用。其次，我们打算确定和 从功能上和细胞上描述眼球运动的途径 起搏器相互作用，并与其他元素相互作用以控制 有节奏的运动行为。我们认为这是两个基本原则 在了解神经系统功能方面的问题。

During the past decade steady progress has been made in our understanding of the physiological basis of circadian rhythms. To a large extent, advances have been achieved through the use of invertebrate models - preparations which display the formal properties of vertebrate circadian systems but which allow for cellular level analysis. Aplysia, a gastropod mollusc, has been an important invertebrate model, primarily due to the presence of a precise circadian pacemaker located within each eye. Nevertheless, the Aplysia preparation suffers from some important weaknesses including the presence of numerous small cells within the retinae and the lack of a robust free-running locomotor rhythm. Through a survey of marine gastropods, we have determined that the ocular pacemaking property is relatively widespread. One opisthobranch, Bulla gouldiana, holds particular promise since it exhibits an extremely clear locomotor rhythm. In addition, the Bulla retina contains fewer cells than the Aplysia eye and appears particularly well suited for intracellular analysis. We intend to exploit the Bulla preparation in an effort to address two issues. First, we intend to determine whether individual retinal cells are circadian pacemakers or whether long periodicities emerge from cellular interactions. Secondly, we intend to indentify and characterize, functionally and cellularly, the pathways by which the ocular pacemakers interact with each other and with other elements to control rhythmic locomotor behavior. We believe these are two fundamental questions in understanding the functioning of the nervous system.