A Novel Software Tool for Controlling Behavioral and Neurophysiological Studies

描述(由申请人提供)：系统和认知神经科学依赖于仔细设计和精确执行的行为任务来研究神经现象。在大多数神经科学实验室，这类任务是在个人计算机(PC)上执行的，使用的软件通常是实验室为其特定需求定制的软件，或者通过修改先前存在的软件来实现。由于许多实验室已经为他们的特定实验开发了单独的解决方案，因此目前还没有现代化、功能齐全和灵活的软件解决方案。最常用的用于控制认知神经科学实验的软件包由于年龄的原因已经过时，它们的能力和灵活性受到限制，并且很难使用，主要是因为需要使用难以学习的低级编程语言(例如C和C++)来构建行为任务。为了解决这些问题，我们开发了一个名为“Monkey logic”(http://www.monkeylogic.net)，)的软件系统，它允许在MatLab中直接编码并在时间上可靠地执行这些任务，MatLab是神经科学界最常用的数据分析编程环境。我们发现，Monkey Logic在呈现刺激和测量行为反应方面能够达到毫秒级的精度，并可以控制广泛的行为任务。与现有的软件解决方案相比，开发行为任务既快又容易，而且它可以在现代廉价的硬件和操作系统上运行。在这里，我们建议继续开发Monkey Logic，以便添加必要的功能，使其成为最全面、最灵活、最易于使用的软件解决方案，用于感知、认知和行为的神经生理、心理物理和功能成像研究。在这个项目完成后，我们打算向科学界免费提供这个软件(连同源代码)，希望它将成为广泛的研究人员的有用工具。该软件填补了一个重要的利基市场，满足了对控制行为和感官实验的灵活软件工具的不断增长的需求。因此，Monkey Logic将对研究人员轻松设计和进行旨在了解感知、行动和认知背后的大脑机制的研究的能力产生巨大的积极影响。由于其灵活性和大量的功能，该软件可以被数千名研究人员在广泛的行为和神经科学学科中使用。此外，我们打算免费向研究团体提供该软件，并提供足够的文档和支持，这将最大限度地提高我们软件的影响力和吸引力。 公共卫生相关性：系统和认知神经科学依赖于精心设计和精确执行的行为任务来引出感兴趣的神经现象。为了促进这一过程，我们开发了一个软件系统，允许在MatLab中直接编码并在时间上可靠地执行这些任务，MatLab是一种高级编程语言，功能强大，易于使用，广泛应用于行为科学和脑科学。与现有系统相比，我们的软件具有几个优势，包括易用性、与现代计算机硬件和操作系统的兼容性、低成本以及快速开发新的行为范例的能力。该项目的目标是通过添加设计和控制广泛的行为、心理物理和神经生理学实验所必需的关键功能来完成该软件系统的开发。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Systems and cognitive neuroscience depend on carefully designed and precisely implemented behavioral tasks to investigate neural phenomena. In most neuroscience laboratories, such tasks are implemented on a personal computer (PC) using software that is usually custom written by that lab for their specific needs, or by modifying preexisting software. Because many laboratories have developed separate solutions for their specific experiments, a modern, full-featured and flexible software solution is not currently available. The most commonly used software packages for controlling cognitive neuroscience experiments have become outdated due to their age, limited in their capabilities and flexibility, and difficult to use largely because of the requirement to construct behavioral tasks using low- level programming languages (e.g. C and C++) that are difficult to learn. To address these issues, we have developed a software system, called "Monkeylogic" (http://www.monkeylogic.net), that allows for straightforward coding and temporally-reliable execution of these tasks in Matlab, the most commonly used programming environment for data analysis in the neuroscience community. We find that Monkeylogic is capable of millisecond accuracy for presenting stimuli and measuring behavioral responses, and can control a wide range of behavioral tasks. Developing behavioral tasks is fast and easy compared to existing software solutions, and it runs on modern and inexpensive hardware and operating systems. Here, we propose to continue development of Monkeylogic in order to add the features necessary to make it the most comprehensive, flexible, and easy to use software solution for neurophysiological, psychophysical, and functional imaging studies of perception, cognition and behavior. Following the completion of this project, we intend to provide this software (along with the source code) free of charge to the scientific community with the hope that it will be a useful tool for a wide range of researchers. This software fills an important niche and satisfies and ever-growing demand for flexible software tools for controlling behavioral and sensory experiments. Thus, Monkeylogic will have a large positive impact on the ability of researchers to easily design and conduct studies aimed at understanding the brain mechanisms underlying perception, action and cognition. Due to its flexibility and large set of features, this software could be used by thousands of researchers across a wide range of behavioral and neuroscience disciplines. Furthermore, our intent to provide this software to the research community free of charge and with adequate documentation and support will maximize the impact and appeal of our software. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Systems and cognitive neuroscience depend on carefully designed and precisely implemented behavioral tasks to elicit the neural phenomena of interest. To facilitate this process, we have developed a software system that allows for the straightforward coding and temporally-reliable execution of these tasks in Matlab, a high-level programming language that is powerful, easy to use, and widely used in the behavioral and brain sciences. Our software has several advantages over existing systems including ease of use, compatibility with modern computer hardware and operating systems, low cost, and the ability to rapidly develop new behavioral paradigms. The goal of this project is to complete the development of this software system by adding critical features that are necessary for designing and controlling a wide range of behavioral, psychophysical and neurophysiological experiments.