Information coding in neurons: bridging the gap between cellular and behavioral neuroscience

目的：我们实验室研究计划的长期目标是将大脑中神经元的活动与我们更高层次的知觉体验联系起来。为了了解神经元活动是如何与我们对外部世界的感知联系在一起的，我们需要知道神经元在其动作电位(或棘波)输出中编码信息的规则。这通常被称为理解“神经密码”。 方法：本实验室从两个层面研究神经编码。首先，我们使用视觉皮层的电生理记录将神经元活动与视觉能力联系起来。第二个层次的研究解决了单个神经元中棘波整合的细胞机制。这一提议的目的是揭示单个神经元如何以一种可以应用于理解视觉感知的神经基础的方式整合时变信息。 具体目标：这项研究拨款的目标是使用定量和数学方法将细胞和行为神经生理学这两个不同层次的研究联系在一起。目标1：确定神经元用来整合到达的棘波序列的细胞水平规则。目标2：在视觉引导任务中，确定将尖峰训练与行为表现联系起来的系统级规则。目标3：揭示细胞和行为级别规则的收敛，以产生神经代码的统一描述。 影响：这项研究的结果将让我们了解神经元如何处理信息，这对于理解大脑如何支撑我们的精神生活以及影响心理健康的疾病的基础至关重要。

OBJECTIVE: The long-term objective of our laboratory's research program is to link the activity of neurons in the brain to our higher-level perceptual experiences. To understand how neuronal activity is linked to our perception of the external world, we need to know the rules neurons use to encode information in their action potential (or spike) output. This is usually referred to as understanding the "neural code". APPROACH: Our laboratory studies the neural code at two levels. In the first, we use electrophysiological recordings from the visual cortex to link neuronal activity to visual capabilities. The second level of investigation addresses the cellular mechanisms of spike integration in single neurons. The goal of this proposal is to reveal how single neurons integrate time-varying information in a way that can be applied to understanding the neural bases of visual perception. SPECIFIC AIMS: The goal of this research grant is to link together two separate levels of investigation - cellular and behavioral neurophysiology - using quantitative and mathematical approaches. Aim 1: Determine the cellular-level rules that neurons use to integrate arriving spike trains. Aim 2: Determine the systems-level rules that link spike trains to behavioral performance in visually-guided tasks. Aim 3: Reveal the convergence of cellular- and behavioral-level rules to produce a unified description of the neural code. IMPACT: The results of this research will provide us with an understanding of how neurons process information, which is critical for understanding how the brain underlies our mental life and the basis of diseases that affect mental health.