全脑尺度神经环路功能连接的高通量高分辨成像新技术

项目名称： 全脑尺度神经环路功能连接的高通量高分辨成像新技术

项目编号： No.91232306

项目类型： 重大研究计划

立项/批准年度： 2013

项目学科： 无线电电子学、电信技术

项目作者： 曾绍群

作者单位： 华中科技大学

项目金额： 300万元

中文摘要： 神经环路是实现情感与记忆的生物学基础，大脑高级功能依赖于由多种神经元相互投射构成的神经环路中所进行的复杂信息传递与处理。要揭示包括情感与记忆在内的脑功能原理以及脑疾病发病机理，首先需要掌握相应神经环路的结构与功能信息。目前我们对与各种脑功能相对应的神经环路信息还知之甚少，其中一个制约因素是，缺乏高分辨、高通量的功能环路成像与追踪方法，特别是对全脑范围内长程神经投射构成的功能环路的成像追踪技术。本项目拟发展高通量、高分辨荧光成像方法，建立一种高程度自动化、高准确性的跨脑区神经环路成像、重构与追踪技术。我们将以运动技能记忆相关的特定部分功能神经环路为模型，展示这一新技术可在全脑范围内高效获取编码特定功能的神经元的精细回路连接信息。本技术将为情感与记忆相关的神经环路结构与功能研究提供有效技术支撑。

中文关键词： 神经环路；功能连接；高分辨率；高通量；全脑尺度

英文摘要： Advanced brain functions are fundamentally dependent on intricate information transmission in neural circuits, which are composed of connections of different neuron types. In order to reveal the principles of brain functions, such as emotion and memory, and mechanisms underlying brain diseases, it is necessarily important to understand the structure and function of neural circuits. However, due to the deficiency of high-resolution imaging and tracking of functional neural circuits, little is known about the neural circuit associated to specific brain functions. Especially, tracking of long-range projections in the whole-brain level is a big obstacle in neuroscience nowadays. In this project, a high-resolution fluorescence imaging technique in the whole-brain range is about to be developed for automatic and precise tracking and reconstruction of neural circuits crossing brain regions. Further, neural circuits associated to of motor skill memory are intended to be traced. The results are supposed to be helpful for revealing the mechanisms on the constitution of brain memory neural circuits.

英文关键词： neural circuit；functional connection；high-resolution；high throughput；whole-brain range