Neural substrate of behavioural control in amphibians: in search of the fundamental elements of the behavioural brain

我研究的最终目标是强调不同脊椎动物组织行为的大脑路径的相似和不同，以便创建行为大脑(也称为‘边缘系统’)的基本模型。我建议研究控制两栖动物行为的大脑区域的结构和功能，重点是整合感觉输入的区域。我将从三个不同的角度来处理这个问题：行为、结构和功能。首先，我将进行行为学实验，以确定相关线索，这些线索将在稍后的功能研究中使用。其次，我将使用解剖学方法来描述参与行为控制的大脑通路的结构。第三，我将使用两种不同的方法测量行为相关刺激引起的大脑活动：a)直接记录大脑电活动；b)标记神经元激活的间接标记物。我的研究计划是“比较的”，因为它涉及将两栖动物的大脑与更广为人知但高度复杂的哺乳动物的大脑进行比较。要理解神经心理障碍的根源是什么，就需要对行为大脑有更好的了解。这项工作可能会产生新的方法来解释哺乳动物边缘系统的巨大复杂性。它可以用来设计用于自评估/自学习机器的机器人控制程序。这也有助于解释大脑的进化如何改变脊椎动物的行为能力。

The ultimate goal of my research is to highlight similarities and differences in the brain pathways that organize behaviour in different vertebrates in order to create a basic model of the behavioural brain (also called 'limbic system'). I propose to study the structure and function of the brain regions that control behaviour in amphibians, with an emphasis on the regions that integrate sensory input. I will approach this problem from three different angles: behaviour, structure and function. Firstly, I will do behavioural experiments identifying relevant cues that will be used later in functional studies. Secondly, I will use anatomical methods to describe the architecture of brain pathways involved in the control of behaviour. Thirdly, I will measure brain activity elicited by behaviourally relevant stimuli using two different methods: a) direct recording of brain electrical activity; b) labelling of indirect markers of neuronal activation. My research plan is 'comparative' in that it involves comparison of amphibian brains with the better known but highly complex brains of mammals. A better knowledge of the behavioural brain is needed to understand what lies at the root of neuropsychological disorders. This work could generate new approaches to elucidate the great complexity of the mammalian limbic system. It could be used to design robotics control programs for self-evaluating/self-learning machines. It could also help explain how evolution of the brain modified behavioural capacities in vertebrates.