Optical imaging of neural function in gastropod molluscs

蜗牛和某些其他软体动物已经被广泛研究，作为理解神经生理学基本原理和行为神经基础的模型。 然而，迄今为止的工作几乎完全集中在成人主要神经节的中枢神经元上。 这些软体动物的周围神经系统和整个幼虫神经系统中的小而分散的细胞已被证明几乎完全抵抗使用标准电生理技术的分析。 因此，我们对众多的外围细胞如何对明确的中央回路的功能做出贡献，也不知道该回路如何发展。 对于神经回路和行为如何进化也知之甚少，尽管许多软体动物，包括商业上重要的物种（例如，扇贝，贻贝），现在已知有类似的外周和幼虫神经系统的更好的研究模式物种。 我们的实验室是一个全球领导者，在提供详细的形态学的外围和幼虫的神经系统的软体动物的比较描述，和现代的进步，现在允许我们的应用程序发达的解剖技术，了解这些制剂内的基本生理。 在这个建议中，我们要求一个成像系统，允许高速记录低强度的光信号从电压和钙敏感染料在活的神经系统。 染料加载技术已经开发出来，并确定了候选类别的神经元进行第一次分析。 因此，我们准备通过建立世界上独一无二的设施来分析软体动物幼虫和外周神经系统的神经活动，从而取得快速，高影响力的进展。 一旦建立，这些技术也应该推广到类似的其他应用，包括其他海洋幼虫的研究。

Snails and certain other molluscs have been studied extensively as models for understanding fundamental principles of neurophysiology and the neural bases of behaviour.  However, work to date has focused almost exclusively on central neurons in major ganglia of the adult.  The small, scattered cells in the peripheral nervous system and the entire larval nervous system of such molluscs have proven to be nearly completely resistant to analysis using standard electrophysiological techniques.  Thus, we have little idea of how the numerous peripheral cells contribute to the function of the well defined central circuitry, nor how that circuitry develops.  There is also little idea of how the neural circuitry and behaviour evolve, although many molluscs, including commercially important species (e.g., scallops, mussels), are now known to have similar peripheral and larval nervous systems to the more well studied model species.  Our laboratory is a global leader in providing comparative descriptions of the detailed morphology of both the peripheral and larval nervous systems of molluscs, and modern advances now allow for application of our well developed anatomical techniques to understanding the underlying physiology within these preparations.  In this proposal we request an imaging system which permits the high-speed recording of low-intensity optical signals from voltage- and calcium- sensitive dyes within living nervous systems.  Dye-loading techniques have already been developed and candidate classes of neurons identified for first analysis.  Thus, we are poised to make rapid, high impact advances by establishing a unique facility in the world for the analysis of neural activity in the larval and peripheral nervous systems of molluscs.  Once established, these techniques should also be generalizable to similar other applications, including the study of other marine larvae.