Manipulating brain circuits using optogentic equipment to examine memory in mice

重大科学突破往往源于关键技术进步。例如，基因打靶技术的发展提供了一套可用于操纵生物体内基因功能的工具，从而使生物学发生了革命性的变化。最近，光遗传技术已经发展起来，它提供了一套工具，可以用来通过精细的空间和时间控制来操纵行为有机体的神经功能。这项申请是为了购买光遗传设备，允许联合申请者(Josselyn博士和Frankland博士)在行为动物中利用光脉冲来调节遗传上不同的神经元组的活动。这种技术在我们(和许多其他)研究领域得到了广泛的应用。事实上，我们最近与斯托尼布鲁克的Shoayu Ge博士合作，他向我们介绍了这项令人兴奋的光遗传技术。我们目前在Neuron正在审查一篇详细描述这一实验的论文(Gu等人，正在审查中)。乔斯林博士和弗兰克兰博士都有需要这种设备的激动人心的研究。然而，目前我们无法在自己的实验室中使用这项令人兴奋的技术。因此，缺乏设备使我们在这项技术几乎成为标准的领域处于劣势。有了这种设备，我们将能够申请额外的运营资金，并进行复杂的重要实验，这些实验将使我们深入了解大脑如何编码信息。

Major scientific breakthroughs often stem from key technological advances. For example, the development of gene targeting techniques revolutionized biology by providing a set of tools that can be used to manipulate gene function within organisms. Recently, optogenetic techniques have been developed that provide a set of tools that can be used to manipulate neural function in behaving organisms with exquisite spatial and temporal control. This application is for the purchase of optogenetic equipment that will allow the joint applicants (Drs. Josselyn and Frankland) to modulate the activity of genetically distinct groups of neurons with pulses of light in behaving animals. This sort of technology is becoming widely used in our (and many other) research fields. Indeed, we have recently collaborated with Dr. Shoayu Ge at Stonybrook who has introduced us to this exciting optogenetic technology. We currently have a paper under review at Neuron detailing this experiment (Gu et al., under review). Both Dr. Josselyn and Dr. Frankland have exciting studies that require this equipment. However, we do not, at present, have access to this exciting technology in our own labs. The lack of the equipment, therefore, puts us at a disadvantage in a field in which this technology is becoming almost standard. With this equipment, we will be able to apply for additional operating funds and to conduct sophisticated important experiments that will give insights into how the brain encodes information.