CAREER: Neural Dynamics, Olfactory Coding and Behavior

职业：神经动力学、嗅觉编码和行为

• 批准号: 1453022
• 负责人: Baranidharan Raman
• 金额: $ 60万
• 依托单位: Washington University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2015
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2015-09-01 至 2021-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1453022&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: CAREER; Neural; Dynamics; Olfactory; Coding

This project focuses on how neural activity in relatively simple invertebrates encodes information about an odorant?s identity and intensity, in a manner that is robust to variations in the intensities and background contexts in which sensory stimuli can be encountered. Electrophysiological, computational and behavioral approaches are combined in this effort to determine the basic principles of olfactory information processing. The identified biological olfaction principles will also lead to development of novel signal-processing algorithms for artificial olfaction, i.e. for electronic noses used in many non-invasive chemical-sensing applications.The technical goals of the project are to determine how response dynamics at the single neuron and population levels maintain/alter olfactory invariance and examine correlations between physiology and odor-driven behavior. An integrative approach will take advantage of the rich repertoire of genetic tools available in the fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) to study single neuron dynamics, and combine it with multi-unit electrophysiological approaches that are well established in locusts (Schistocerca americana) to examine neural circuit dynamics. The biological data will be used to develop experimentally constrained models of olfactory signal processing to gain mechanistic insights and facilitate development of bio-inspired algorithms for an electronic nose. This research will reveal how dynamic patterns of neural activity allow the olfactory system to represent odorants in a background- and concentration-invariant manner. Examination of the interactions between an external stimulus and intrinsic neural dynamics is also expected to inform a better general understanding of dynamical neuronal networks. Data and analytical approaches obtained from the proposed work will be used to develop new neural engineering modules for undergraduate and graduate courses and thereby enhance the existing biomedical engineering curriculum. Furthermore, a K-12 teachers professional development workshop: ?Where biology meets engineering? will be created to provide middle- and high-school teachers with content and tools to offer their students a meaningful exposure to the interdisciplinary nature of science education.

该项目着重于相对简单的无脊椎动物中的神经活动如何以一种可以遇到感官刺激的强度和背景环境中的变化方式编码有关气味的身份和强度的信息。在这种努力中，将电生理，计算和行为方法结合在一起，以确定嗅觉信息处理的基本原理。确定的生物学嗅觉原理还将导致用于人工嗅觉的新型信号处理算法的发展，即用于许多非侵入性化学感应应用中使用的电子鼻子。神经元和人口水平保持/改变嗅觉不变性并检查生理和气味驱动行为之间的相关性。一种综合方法将利用果蝇（果蝇Melanogaster）中可用的丰富遗传工具库来研究单个神经元动力学，并将其与多单位电生理学方法结合在一起，这些方法已在蝗虫（Schistocercerca Americana）中良好确定电路动力学。该生物数据将用于开发嗅觉信号处理的实验约束模型，以获得机械洞察力并促进电子鼻子的生物启发算法的发展。 这项研究将揭示神经活动的动态模式如何使嗅觉系统以背景和浓度不变的方式表示气味。还期望检查外部刺激与内在神经动力学之间的相互作用，以使人们对动力学神经元网络有更好的一般了解。从建议的工作中获得的数据和分析方法将用于开发新的神经工程模块，以供本科和研究生课程，从而增强现有的生物医学工程课程。此外，K-12教师专业发展研讨会：？生物学在哪里与工程相遇？将创建为中学和高中教师提供内容和工具，以使学生有意义地接触科学教育的跨学科性质。