Neuronal basis for sensorimotor control during zebrafish prey capture behavior

斑马鱼猎物捕获行为中感觉运动控制的神经元基础

• 批准号: 7918938
• 负责人: Tod Rogers Thiele
• 金额: $ 5.22万
• 依托单位: UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2009
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2009-09-15 至 2011-09-14
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/7918938
• 关键词: Address; Behavior; Behavioral; Biological Models; Brain; Brain region; Calcium; Cell Nucleus; Chloride Ion; Chlorides; Confocal Microscopy; Coupled; Coupling; Cues; Data; Employee Strikes; Environmental Risk Factor; Fertilization; Fishes; Genes; Genetic; Goals; Halorhodopsins; Human; Image; Ion Channel; Knowledge; Light; Maps; Measures; Medial; Methodology; Methods; Microscopy; Midbrain structure; Monitor; Motor output; Movement; Neurons; Neurosciences; Photic Stimulation; Production; Pump; Research; Role; Sensory; Sensory Process; Series; Specificity; Spinal; Swimming; System; Testing; Transgenic Organisms; Translating; Vertebrates; Visual; Zebrafish; base; calcium indicator; design; in vivo; insight; nervous system disorder; neural circuit; neuromechanism; public health relevance; relating to nervous system; research study; sensorimotor system; superior colliculus Corpora quadrigemina; teleost; tool; two-photon; visual stimulus

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The broad goal of this proposal is to uncover neural mechanisms underlying sensorimotor integration. This goal will be addressed by investigating the neural circuitry that controls a finely coordinated and goal- directed zebrafish behavior, the capture of prey. Zebrafish are an emerging model for systems neuroscience and possess several significant experimental advantages, the combination of which is unparalleled in any other vertebrate system-. These advantages include powerful genetics, transparency for optophysiology, and a diverse behavioral repertoire that develops within a week of fertilization. Larval zebrafish use a series of low angle turns and tracking swims to orient toward and ultimately strike at their prey. This behavior is visually guided and relies heavily on high-order sensory processing by the optic tectum. The focus of this proposal is to define the role of identified reticulospinal neurons that have been implicated in prey capture. These neurons reside in the midbrain nucleus of the medial longitudinal fasciculus (nMLF), the teleost equivalent to the mammalian midbrain premotor region. Neurons in the nMLF receive direct input from the optic tectum and have projections that innervate spinal circuits; placing nMLF neurons at the intersection of sensory and motor systems involved in prey capture. The Aims in this proposal are designed to test specific hypotheses about how distinct neural subpopulations in the nMLF translate sensory information into motor output during the different components of prey capture. These hypotheses will be tested using a combination of behavioral analyses, in vivo calcium imaging and newly developed genetic approaches for activating and silencing discrete brain regions. The research is significant because it will advance our knowledge of a goal-directed vertebrate behavior, the mechanisms of which are poorly understood. The research is also likely to establish methodologies for characterizing other neural circuits in zebrafish. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Mapping neural circuits involved in behavior provides a framework in which to understand how genes and environmental factors that underlie neurological diseases produce their behavioral effects. Given the high degree of conservation across vertebrates, circuit mapping coupled with the vast pool of genetic data and tools in zebrafish should provide a powerful combination for gaining insights into human neurological diseases.

描述（由申请人提供）：该提案的广泛目标是发现感觉运动整合的神经机制。该目标将通过调查控制着一个协调和目标的斑马鱼行为的神经回路来解决这个目标，即捕获猎物。斑马鱼是系统神经科学的新兴模型，并具有几个重要的实验优势，其组合在任何其他脊椎动物系统中都是无与伦比的。这些优点包括强大的遗传学，光生理学的透明度以及在受精后一周内发展出多种行为库。幼虫斑马鱼使用一系列的低角度转弯，跟踪游泳，以方向朝向并最终击中猎物。这种行为在视觉上进行指导，并严重依赖于视神经系统的高阶感觉处理。该提案的重点是定义与猎物捕获有关的鉴定的网状神经元的作用。这些神经元居住在内侧纵向筋膜（NMLF）的中脑核中，该肌张力肌是等同于哺乳动物中脑前脑前区域的硬骨鱼。 NMLF中的神经元从视觉底部接收直接输入，并具有支配脊柱电路的投影；将NMLF神经元放置在涉及猎物捕获的感觉和运动系统的交集中。该提案的目的旨在测试有关NMLF中不同神经亚群如何将感觉信息转化为猎物捕获不同组成部分的运动输出的特定假设。这些假设将使用行为分析，体内钙成像和新开发的遗传方法的组合来测试，以激活和沉默离散的大脑区域。这项研究很重要，因为它将提高我们对目标定向的脊椎动物行为的了解，其机制的理解很少。该研究还可能建立用于表征斑马鱼中其他神经回路的方法。公共卫生相关性：行为涉及的映射神经回路提供了一个框架，在该框架中，了解神经系统疾病的基因和环境因素如何产生其行为影响。鉴于跨脊椎动物的高度保护，斑马鱼中的电路映射以及大量的遗传数据和工具应提供强大的组合，以获得对人类神经系统疾病的见解。