Cellular and network processes underlying adaptive behavioral regulation

Wayne State University, Detroit MI

Investigators

Abstract

The goal of this research is to achieve a quantitative description of network processes that underlie one of the most basic tasks performed by nervous systems: to use information from the environment to adaptively regulate behavior. These experiments will be carried out on the siphon withdrawal reflex (SWR) of the marine mollusc Aplysia californica, an experimental system that allows network-level events to be directly related to behavioral outcomes. The first major objective of this project is to achieve a quantitative description of cellular events that underlie behavioral regulation in response to ethologically relevant environmental change (calm to turbulent). A series of physiological experiments will be performed to characterize sensory processing of environmental information, as well as to measure subsequent changes in the intrinsic and synaptic properties of network interneurons and motor neurons. These measures will be used to construct a formal computational model of environmental information processing that will allow us to systematically explore how multiple network processes interact to regulate behavior. The second major objective of this project is to further develop and apply this computer model to aid our understanding of a simple form of learning, habituation. Incorporated into the model will be physiological measurements obtained within the SWR circuit in response to habituation training, and the model will be used to achieve a quantitative description of cellular processes underlying this basic form of learning. The broader impacts of this research lie in the ubiquity of the basic synaptic and cellular processes analyzed, which are common to all neural systems and have been shown to be important in their regulation. The end result of this project should shed light not only on the neural basis of a specific behavior and its regulation, but also on the computational principles by which any network dynamically regulates its responsiveness. This research will provide a multi-disciplinary training environment for both graduate and undergraduate students seeking training in behavioral, physiological and computational methods. The project involves establishing a unique research-training pipeline with an outstanding liberal arts undergraduate institution, Kalamazoo College, which will allow summer research opportunities to be realized at Wayne State University.