Depth & Oculomotor Control

深度

• 批准号: 6370580
• 负责人: JAMES W GNADT
• 金额: $ 33.86万
• 依托单位: STATE UNIVERSITY NEW YORK STONY BROOK
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 1996
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 1996-12-01 至 2005-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/6370580
• 关键词: Macaca mulatta; behavioral /social science research tag; binocular vision; electrodes; eye disorder diagnosis; eye movements; lens; neural information processing; neuroanatomy; neurons; neurophysiology; oculomotor nuclei; parietal lobe /cortex; saccades; superior colliculus; visual depth perception; visual fixation; visual pathways; visual stimulus

Oculomotor behavior as an "ideal system" for the study of the neurophysiologic mechanisms of voluntary and reflex behavior. As an overt and measurable behavior, motor systems are ideal for study of the fundamental mechanisms for how the brain transforms sensory inputs and volitional commands into outputs. Among the motor systems, eye movements have the advantage of being relatively simple. In order to study volitional behavior in vivo, we use chronic recording techniques in trained primates. In one set of experiments, we are studying the fundamental cellular and circuit mechanism for generating saccadic eye movements, the high-velocity eye flicks that one uses to scan the surrounding environment. The brain circuit that generates saccadic behavior is essentially a biologic machine that acts like a central pattern generator, a closed-loop neural circuit that creates a stereotyped motor output in response to inputs from higher centers. Like any machine, one can attempt to understand how it works by "reverse engineering." That is, given the machine's output, how do the internal circuits function to produce that output? One systems engineering approach is to inject characteristic input signals at critical points within the circuit and compare the output to quantitative predictions based on assumptions about the biological mechanisms. Using this approach, we have addressed several fundamental issues in oculomotor physiology, which in turn reveals brain mechanisms that are general to all behavior. By studying the brain in live and behaving subjects, we obtain fundamental insight into how it computes, plans movements and represents information. We come to understand the brain's wiring diagrams and how networks of interconnected neurons function together as an effective biologic machine. Such basic biology research is essential as the fundamental underpinning for understanding brain function when compromised by disease or injury. The health relatedness of this research is that the understanding of how the normal, healthy brain works is a sine qua non for understanding the human condition in health and in illness.

动眼行为是研究自愿和反射行为的神经生理机制的“理想系统”。 作为一种公开和可测量的行为，电机系统是研究大脑如何将感觉输入和自愿命令转化为输出的基本机制的理想选择。在电机系统中，眼动具有相对简单的优势。 为了研究体内的意志行为，我们在训练有素的灵长类动物中使用慢性记录技术。在一组实验中，我们正在研究用于产生阳性眼动的基本细胞和电路机制，即人们用来扫描周围环境的高速眼球。 产生saccadic行为的大脑电路本质上是一种生物学机器，其作用类似于中央模式发生器，该机器是一种闭环神经回路，可响应于较高中心的输入而产生定型的电动机输出。 像任何机器一样，可以尝试通过“反向工程”来了解其工作原理。 也就是说，鉴于机器的输出，内部电路如何发挥该输出？ 一种系统的工程方法是在电路内的临界点注入特征输入信号，并根据对生物学机制的假设将输出与定量预测进行比较。 使用这种方法，我们已经解决了眼球生理学中的几个基本问​​题，这反过来揭示了所有行为的一般性大脑机制。通过研究现场和行为主题中的大脑，我们可以获得有关其计算，计划运动和代表信息的基本见解。 我们开始了解大脑的接线图以及互连神经元网络如何作为有效的生物机器一起起作用。 这种基本的生物学研究至关重要，因为当疾病或损伤损害时，理解大脑功能的基本基础。 这项研究的健康相关性是，了解正常，健康的大脑工作方式是不适合理解健康和疾病中人类状况的正当方法。