SYNAPTIC INTEGRATION IN THE ACCESSORY OLFACTORY BULB

描述（由申请人提供）：该项目的长期目标是了解树突和电路的特性如何影响哺乳动物副嗅觉系统中信息素诱发活动的整合。通过树突树到达数千个位点的突触输入的整合是影响所有神经元类型功能特性的基本机制。在特定类型的神经元中，突触整合机制被认为是高度专门化的，以处理某些类型的输入，例如检测听觉系统中的短时间延迟。副嗅球（AOB）二尖瓣细胞的树突状树具有复杂而高度特化的形态。这些细胞似乎被设计成对到达多个位置（肾小球）的输入进行采样，然后将这种活动的一些信息传递给二尖瓣细胞体，从那里它可以传递到更高的大脑区域。我们建议使用生理学和计算技术来提高我们对副嗅球细胞和电路突触整合的理解。特别是，我们将研究AOB二尖瓣细胞树突的主动和被动特性对这些细胞丛向体细胞突触活动传播的影响。我们还将研究如何整合多个簇的输入，并确定一个簇的活动如何受到到达其他簇的信号的影响。总的来说，提出的实验将增加对神经元突触和树突处理的许多基本问题的理解，特别是它们将提供有关副嗅觉系统中化学感觉信息整合的有价值的信息。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The long-term goal of this project is to understand how the properties of dendrites and circuits influence the integration of pheromone-evoked activity in the mammalian accessory olfactory system. Integration of synaptic inputs arriving at thousands of sites across the dendritic tree is a basic mechanism that influences the functional properties of all neuronal types. In particular types of neurons the mechanisms of synaptic integration are thought to be highly specialized to process certain types of inputs, for example to detect short time delays in the auditory system. The dendritic trees of accessory olfactory bulb (AOB) mitral cells have a complicated and highly specialized morphology. These cells seem to be designed to sample inputs arriving at multiple locations (glomeruli), and then to convey some information about this activity to the mitral cell soma from which it can be passed on to higher brain areas. We propose to use physiological and computational techniques to improve our understanding of synaptic integration in the cells and circuits of the accessory olfactory bulb. In particular we will examine the influence of active and passive properties of AOB mitral cell dendrites on the propagation of synaptic activity from the tufts to the somata of these cells. We also will examine how inputs to multiple tufts are integrated, and determine how activity at one tuft is influenced by signals arriving at other tufts. Overall the experiments proposed will provide increased understanding of many basic issues of synaptic and dendritic processing in neurons, and in particular they will provide valuable information on the integration of chemosensory information in the accessory olfactory system.