The Influence of Neuronal Variability on Perception and Behavior

母公司裁决摘要（R35GM124883） 我们对世界的反应不仅仅是我们感觉器官所检测到的总和，还包括我们的大脑如何选择 代表这些检测，并对它们采取行动。然而，关于我们如何解释感官输入的知识， 缺乏产生行为输出的大脑。与简单的反射不同，我们的大多数行为都是由一种 外部世界的内在表征。这种内部状态不是静态的，而是在两种情况下都表现出动态活动。 清醒和睡眠期。简而言之，我们总是在思考。即使在感官剥夺的情况下，我们大脑中几乎所有的区域， 大脑保持活跃。因此，从感官输入预测行为输出的核心挑战是， 对世界的感知是动态的，变化很大，使许多行为不可预测。了解 复杂大脑内部动力学如何产生的功能基础是有限的。然而，动态内部状态 也影响简单动物如秀丽隐杆线虫的感知和行为。它是目前唯一的 我们有一张每个神经元和突触的详细地图。我们可以同时操纵和监控 大脑中每个神经元的活动。这种在完全映射的大脑中操纵特定神经元的精湛能力 使C. elegans是理解简化系统中静息态动力学复杂性的理想生物。我 长期目标是了解神经回路如何在不同的时间尺度上产生静息态动力学，以及如何 这些状态影响感知和行为。理解这个过程将为理解 学习过程，以及支配行为新奇性如何产生和适应环境的原则。

Summary of parent award (R35GM124883) Our response to the world is not simply the sum of what our sensory organs detect, but also how our brain chooses to represent these detections, and act upon them. However, knowledge of how sensory inputs are interpreted by our brains to yield behavioral outputs is lacking. Unlike simple reflexes, the majority of our behaviors are governed by an internal representation of the external world. This internal state is not static; but shows dynamic activity during both awake and sleep periods. In short, we are always thinking. Even in sensory deprived contexts, nearly all regions of our brain remain active. Therefore, the central challenge with predicting behavioral output from sensory input is that our perception of the world is dynamic and highly variable, rendering many behaviors unpredictable. Understanding the functional underpinnings of how internal dynamics arise in complex brains is limited. However, dynamic internal states also influence perception and behavior in simple animals such as Caenorhabditis elegans. It is currently the only organism where we have a detailed map of every neuron and synapse. We can simultaneously manipulate and monitor the activity of every neuron in the brain. This exquisite ability to manipulate specific neurons in a fully mapped brain makes C. elegans the ideal organism to understand the complexity of resting state dynamics in a reduced system. My long-term goal is to understand how neural circuits generate resting state dynamics on different timescales, and how these states influence perception and behavior. Understanding this process will provide a foundation for understanding the learning process, and the principles that govern how behavioral novelty arises and adapts to the environment.