CAREER: Mathematical Questions Arising from Neural Systems - Research and Education

职业：神经系统引起的数学问题 - 研究和教育

• 批准号: 0956057
• 负责人: Janet Best
• 金额: $ 40.5万
• 依托单位: Ohio State University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2010
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2010-06-01 至 2016-09-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0956057&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: CAREER; Mathematical; Questions; Arising; Neural

The neural circuits of the brain are central to human actions, human thoughts, and human feelings. Because these circuits are so complicated and the details of the circuitry vary from person to person, our understanding of the brain remains limited. In this project the Principal Investigator will study fundamental questions relating circuit structure and dynamics in the brain. One thing we do know about the brain is that neural circuits change, from infancy through young adulthood and into our later years. Some of these changes are part of healthy developmental transitions, such as an infant becoming able to sleep through the night or an adolescent entering puberty; other changes are pathological, such as the loss of a particular group of neurons in the sleep disorder narcolepsy. In close collaboration with laboratory scientists, the Principal Investigator seeks both to characterize these neural changes and to determine the underlying neural mechanisms. She will focus on three areas: (1) puberty, (2) sleep-wake regulation, and (3) systems of neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin. Changes in the cells of neural circuits can alter the activity of these neurotransmitters, with sometimes profound effects on important human behaviors such as feeding, mood, and social interactions. The Principal Investigator will carry out these investigations by studying mathematical models of different brain circuits, using mathematics that she is developing for this purpose.Mathematical investigations will include developing the theory of mixed mode oscillations, studying how stochastic dynamics on graphs change as the graph changes, using spectral analysis to understand how graph structure determines the general character of the distribution of absorption times of Markov processes, and developing the theory of doubly stochastic processes. These investigations will give understanding of the normal functioning of particular neural circuits and also help to explain what goes wrong in neuropsychiatric illnesses and neurodegenerative diseases. The Investigator will use her extensive experience in teaching, recruiting, and mentoring students to design a new pipeline program in Ohio that will encourage students to choose careers in science.

大脑的神经回路对于人类的行为，人类思想和人类感情至关重要。由于这些电路非常复杂，并且电路的细节因人而异，因此我们对大脑的理解仍然有限。在该项目中，主要研究者将研究有关大脑中电路结构和动态的基本问题。我们对大脑确实知道的一件事是，从婴儿期到成年再到我们晚年，神经回路发生了变化。其中一些变化是健康发展过渡的一部分，例如婴儿能够整夜入睡或进入青春期的青少年。其他变化是病理性的，例如睡眠障碍中的特定神经元的丧失。在与实验室科学家的密切合作中，首席研究人员既寻求表征这些神经变化并确定潜在的神经机制。她将专注于三个领域：（1）青春期，（2）睡眠效果调节，以及（3）神经递质的系统，例如多巴胺和5-羟色胺。神经回路细胞的变化会改变这些神经递质的活性，有时会对人类行为（例如喂养，情绪和社交相互作用）产生深远影响。主要研究者将使用她为此目的开发的数学来研究不同大脑循环的数学模型，将进行这些研究。数学研究将包括开发混合模式振荡的理论，研究图形上的随机动力学随着图形的变化而变化，使用光谱分析来理解图形结构如何确定图表的一般特征。这些研究将使特定神经回路的正常功能有助于解释神经精神疾病和神经退行性疾病的问题。调查人员将利用她在教学，招聘和指导学生方面的丰富经验，在俄亥俄州设计新的管道计划，该计划将鼓励学生选择科学职业。