BIOPHYSICAL CHANNEL MODELS OF ASSOCIATIVE LEARNING

这是一份科学家发展奖的申请的目标 拟议的研究是开始了解，在定量的细节， 的学习和记忆机制， 无脊椎海生蜗牛，具有相同的行为特征， 学习和记忆的生物物理和生物化学机制， 哺乳动物 Hermissenda展示了联想学习， 光（条件刺激）和湍流的成对呈现 （无条件刺激）。 这种记忆的获取和存储发生在 我是内侧B 光感受器细胞，光诱发信号会聚的场所 和诱发的信号。虽然长期的变化， 对应于记忆存储的B细胞膜已经被表征 一些生物物理机制的基本细节， 联想学习仍然是未知的，CS和UCS的相互作用 导致联想学习的行为特征 完全理解 为了深入了解一些 这些基本问题，研究计划描述了一个相互关联的 组织了一系列生物物理实验和数学建模 围绕以下三个问题：（1）光的性质 感应电流使得刺激编码足够敏感， 在赫米森达身上看到的刺激特异性程度(2)有 突触前机制和突触后机制， 毛细胞刺激对学习诱发的改变， B类光感受器？(3)每种电流的功能是什么， 以及电流之间的相互作用， 经典条件作用的特征生物物理实验 解决这些问题所需的数学建模是必要的 以及足够的培训，使我能够成为一个独立的 研究人员，并在该领域作出重大贡献， 计算神经科学 生物物理学的定量理解 和生化相互作用的基础上的协会学习， Hermissenda提出的研究也将有助于 了解哺乳动物的联想学习。简明发展 信道模型的数学描述将使得 制定改进的学习规则、网络架构和 人工神经网络中的神经元元件。

This is a request for a Scientist Development Award. The goal of the proposed research is to begin to understand, in quantitative detail, mechanisms of learning and memory in Hermissenda crassicornis, an invertebrate marine snail that shares behavioral characteristics and biophysical and biochemical mechanisms of learning and memory with mammals. Hermissenda demonstrates associative learning in response to paired presentations of light (Conditioned Stimulus) and turbulence (Unconditioned Stimulus). Acquisition and storage of this memory occurs m the medial B photoreceptor cell, the site of convergence of the light-evoked signal and the turbulence-evoked signal. Although the long term changes in the B cell membrane corresponding to memory storage have been characterized essential details of some of the biophysical mechanisms underlying associative learning are still unknown, and the CS and UCS interactions leading to the behavioral characteristics of associative learning are not completely understood. To achieve an in-depth understanding of some of these essential issues, the research plan describes an inter-related series of biophysical experiments and mathematical modeling organized around the following three questions: (1) What properties of the light induced currents makes stimulus coding sufficiently sensitive to permit the degree of stimulus specificity seen in Hermissenda? (2) Are there pre-synaptic mechanisms, as well as post-synaptic mechanisms, underlying the learning induced change in the effect of hair cell stimulation on the B photoreceptor? (3) What is the functional role of each of the currents, and of interactions among currents with respect to behavioral characteristics of classical conditioning? The biophysical experiments and mathematical modeling required to address these issues are necessary and sufficient training to enable me to become an independent investigator and to make significant contributions in the field of computational neuroscience. Quantitative understanding of biophysical and biochemical interactions underlying association learning in Hermissenda produced by the proposed research also will contribute to understanding of associative learning in mammals. Development of concise mathematical descriptions of the channel models would make possible the formulation of improved learning rules, network architectures and neuronal elements in artificial neural networks.