A basal ganglia pacemaker formed by the subthalamic nucleus and external globus pallidus.

The subthalamic nucleus of the basal ganglia (STN) is important for normal movement as well as in movement disorders. Lesioning or deep-brain stimulation of the STN can alleviate resting tremor in Parkinson's disease. The STN and its target nuclei display synchronized oscillatory burst discharge at low frequencies, some of which correlate with tremor, but the mechanism underlying this synchronized bursting is unknown. Here we show that the excitatory STN and inhibitory, external globus pallidus (GPe) form a feedback system that engages in synchronized bursting. In mature organotypic cortex-striatum-STN-GPe cultures, neurons in the STN and GPe spontaneously produce synchronized oscillating bursts at 0.4, 0.8 and 1.8 Hz. Pallidal lesion abolishes this bursting, whereas cortical lesion favours bursting at 0.8 Hz. Pallidal bursts, although weaker than STN bursts, were required for synchronized oscillatory burst generation by recruitment of subthalmic rebound excitation. We propose that the STN and GPe constitute a central pacemaker modulated by striatal inhibition of GPe neurons. This pacemaker could be responsible for synchronized oscillatory activity in the normal and pathological basal ganglia.     

面神经核对呼吸节律的影响

实验选用健康成年SD大鼠,观察大鼠面神经核内的非运动神经元的放电样式以及电刺激面神经核对呼吸节律的影响,以探讨面神经核是否参与呼吸调节.在面运动神经元逆行溃变的面神经核内可记录到呼吸相关神经元(RRNs),单脉冲刺激面神经核可引起膈肌肌电的瞬时抑制,在吸气早、中期短串刺激面神经核可延长吸气时程,吸气后期刺激引起吸气终止,呼气相刺激可延长呼气时程,连续刺激面神经核可抑制吸气.     

Transitional function of DG to CA3 in the hippocampus

Using single cell channel model, the transmission features of CA3-DG network in the hippocampus are investigated. The influence of the stimulation on discharge pattern of pyramidal neurons is analyzed, which shows that it starts with period spiking discharges, followed by period-doubling bifurcation to chaos, and period 3 discharge evolving into chaos, and ultimately a period of bursting discharges. By the synaptic model, the CA3-DG network model is constructed, which analyzes the summation of postsynaptic currents in the network, the influence of postsynaptic current on discharge rhythm as well as the mechanism of bursting discharges. The strong capacity of spatiotemporal encoding in the network indicates the features of CA3 network during the information transmission process in the hippocampus. The modeling result with time delay of the synaptic transmission is in accordance with the experimental phenomena of action potential in the hippocampus.     

Transitional function of DG to CA3 in the hippocampus

Using single cell channel model, the transmission features of CA3-DG network in the hippocampus are investigated. The influence of the stimulation on discharge pattern of pyramidal neurons is analyzed, which shows that it starts with period spiking discharges, followed by period-doubling bifurcation to chaos, and period 3 discharge evolving into chaos, and ultimately a period of bursting discharges. By the synaptic model, the CA3-DG network model is constructed, which analyzes the summation of postsynaptic currents in the network, the influence of postsynaptic current on discharge rhythm as well as the mechanism of bursting discharges. The strong capacity of spatiotemporal encoding in the network indicates the features of CA3 network during the information transmission process in the hippocampus. The modeling result with time delay of the synaptic transmission is in accordance with the experimental phenomena of action potential in the hippocampus.     

Biological pacemaker created by gene transfer

The pacemaker cells of the heart initiate the heartbeat, sustain the circulation, and dictate the rate and rhythm of cardiac contraction. Circulatory collapse ensues when these specialized cells are damaged by disease, a situation that currently necessitates the implantation of an electronic pacemaker. Here we report the use of viral gene transfer to convert quiescent heart-muscle cells into pacemaker cells, and the successful generation of spontaneous, rhythmic electrical activity in the ventricle in vivo. Our results indicate that genetically engineered pacemakers could be developed as a possible alternative to implantable electronic devices.     

Neural substrates of awakening probed with optogenetic control of hypocretin neurons

The neural underpinnings of sleep involve interactions between sleep-promoting areas such as the anterior hypothalamus, and arousal systems located in the posterior hypothalamus, the basal forebrain and the brainstem. Hypocretin (Hcrt, also known as orexin)-producing neurons in the lateral hypothalamus are important for arousal stability, and loss of Hcrt function has been linked to narcolepsy. However, it is unknown whether electrical activity arising from Hcrt neurons is sufficient to drive awakening from sleep states or is simply correlated with it. Here we directly probed the impact of Hcrt neuron activity on sleep state transitions with in vivo neural photostimulation, genetically targeting channelrhodopsin-2 to Hcrt cells and using an optical fibre to deliver light deep in the brain, directly into the lateral hypothalamus, of freely moving mice. We found that direct, selective, optogenetic photostimulation of Hcrt neurons increased the probability of transition to wakefulness from either slow wave sleep or rapid eye movement sleep. Notably, photostimulation using 5-30 Hz light pulse trains reduced latency to wakefulness, whereas 1 Hz trains did not. This study establishes a causal relationship between frequency-dependent activity of a genetically defined neural cell type and a specific mammalian behaviour central to clinical conditions and neurobehavioural physiology.     

Stable propagation of synchronous spiking in cortical neural networks

The classical view of neural coding has emphasized the importance of information carried by the rate at which neurons discharge action potentials. More recent proposals that information may be carried by precise spike timing have been challenged by the assumption that these neurons operate in a noisy fashion--presumably reflecting fluctuations in synaptic input and, thus, incapable of transmitting signals with millisecond fidelity. Here we show that precisely synchronized action potentials can propagate within a model of cortical network activity that recapitulates many of the features of biological systems. An attractor, yielding a stable spiking precision in the (sub)millisecond range, governs the dynamics of synchronization. Our results indicate that a combinatorial neural code, based on rapid associations of groups of neurons co-ordinating their activity at the single spike level, is possible within a cortical-like network.     

延时FitzHugh-Nagumo神经网络的时空编码

为更接近真实神经系统,考虑具有延时的FitzHugh—Nagumo神经元组成的神经元网络,发现其并不是单个发放而是簇状发放,有利于模式的时间分割．给定一个输入模式,它是几种模式的叠加,网络能够以一部分神经元同步簇放电的形式一个接一个地分割出每一种模式．如果输入的模式是缺损的,系统能够按记忆的模式恢复,即网络具有联想记忆功能．     

家兔蓝斑复合核注射P物质对膈神经放电的影响及机制

目的 :探讨 P物质在蓝斑复合核对呼吸的作用及机制。方法 :实验在 45只麻醉、制动、人工呼吸的家兔上进行。结果 :将 P物质 (SP)微量注入蓝斑复合核区 (L c— Sc) ,使膈神经放电频率明显增加 ,吸气时程延长 ,呼气时程缩短 ,呼吸频率无明显变化。SP在 L c— Sc区使膈神经放电频率增加的效应可被延髓孤束核 (NTS)分别预注射 α或 β受体阻断剂拮抗。结论 :L c— Sc是 SP在中枢呼吸兴奋效应的有效作用部位 ,其作用机制可能是通过 NTS的 α和 β受体介导     

Patch- and voltage-clamp analysis of cyclic AMP-stimulated inward current underlying neurone bursting

The second messenger cyclic AMP has been variously reported to affect the electrical activity of different neurones by decreasing outward potassium current, increasing outward current and increasing inward current. The recently developed patch clamp method of recording single ionic channels allows direct measurement of the action of cyclic AMP on membrane conductances. Using the patch clamp, the closure of potassium channels by cyclic AMP has previously been documented on the single channel level. We report here that in a bursting molluscan neurone, intracellular iontophoresis of cyclic AMP under voltage clamp elicits an inward current of maximal amplitude in the pacemaker voltage region. Patch-clamp analysis reveals inward channels whose opening frequency is augmented by cyclic AMP stimulation and whose activity accompanies burst episodes. Channel opening frequency is significantly increased by depolarization of the whole soma, but not by focal depolarization of the patch; this may reflect the action of another second messenger that acts in concert with cyclic AMP to confer voltage sensitivity.     

Colorant Formulation Using 3 - layer Artificial Neural Networks

The colorant formulation using artificial neural networks (ANN) was investigated in this study. A simple 3 -layer, input - hidden - output system was constructed for the recipe formulation of one - , two - , and three -dye mixtures. Comprehensive tests were carried out to explore the properties of a 3 - layer simple ANN systematically . These properties include number of neurons in the hidden layer, learning rate of the network, momentum factor of the network, as well as the number of epochs for the learning process. The tests show accurate results for one - and two - dye mixtures while less accurate but comparable results to conventional colorant formulation systems for three - dye mixtures. It is also found that the optimum values of the neural network parameters are important towards the accuracy of the colorant formulation.     

基于遗传算法-BP神经网络的径向式导叶多级泵水力性能优化

针对径向式导叶多级泵内部流动状态复杂多变而导致其水力性能曲线难以精确测量的技术难题,采用遗传算法(ge-netic algorithm,GA)迭代优化反向传播(back propagation,BP)神经网络的权值与阈值,构建了基于GA-BP神经网络的径向式导叶多级泵水力性能预测模型,以MD500-57型径向式导叶多级泵为研究对象,建立了输入层为13个神经元、隐含层为10个神经元、输出层为2个神经元的GA-BP神经网络,采用正交试验方法设计了试验参数的正交试验方案,运用数值模拟计算方法对正交试验方案进行求解,获得了试验参数的训练样本,并对神经网络进行训练与测试,计算了过流部件关键几何参数的最优组合方案.试验结果表明:优化后该多级泵在设计工况下扬程增加了2.4 m,效率提高了3.34％,且高效区范围变宽.     

Detection of bursts in neuronal spike trains by the mean inter-spike interval method

Bursts are electrical spikes firing with a high frequency, which are the most important property in synaptic plasticity and information processing in the central nervous system. However, bursts are difficult to identify because bursting activities or patterns vary with physiological conditions or external stimuli. In this paper, a simple method automatically to detect bursts in spike trains is described. This method auto-adaptively sets a parameter (mean inter-spike interval) according to intrinsic properties of the detected burst spike trains, without any arbitrary choices or any operator judgment. When the mean value of several successive inter-spike intervals is not larger than the parameter, a burst is identified. By this method, bursts can be automatically extracted from different bursting patterns of cultured neurons on multi-electrode arrays, as accurately as by visual inspection. Furthermore, significant changes of burst variables caused by electrical stimulus have been found in spontaneous activity of neuronal network. These suggest that the mean inter-spike interval method is robust for detecting changes in burst patterns and characteristics induced by environmental alterations.     

Cortex-restricted disruption of NMDAR1 impairs neuronal patterns in the barrel cortex

In the rodent primary somatosensory cortex, the configuration of whiskers and sinus hairs on the snout and of receptor-dense zones on the paws is topographically represented as discrete modules of layer IV granule cells (barrels) and thalamocortical afferent terminals. The role of neural activity, particularly activity mediated by NMDARs (N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors), in patterning of the somatosensory cortex has been a subject of debate. We have generated mice in which deletion of the NMDAR1 (NR1) gene is restricted to excitatory cortical neurons, and here we show that sensory periphery-related patterns develop normally in the brainstem and thalamic somatosensory relay stations of these mice. In the somatosensory cortex, thalamocortical afferents corresponding to large whiskers form patterns and display critical period plasticity, but their patterning is not as distinct as that seen in the cortex of normal mice. Other thalamocortical patterns corresponding to sinus hairs and digits are mostly absent. The cellular aggregates known as barrels and barrel boundaries do not develop even at sites where thalamocortical afferents cluster. Our findings indicate that cortical NMDARs are essential for the aggregation of layer IV cells into barrels and for development of the full complement of thalamocortical patterns.     

The primate amygdala represents the positive and negative value of visual stimuli during learning

Visual stimuli can acquire positive or negative value through their association with rewards and punishments, a process called reinforcement learning. Although we now know a great deal about how the brain analyses visual information, we know little about how visual representations become linked with values. To study this process, we turned to the amygdala, a brain structure implicated in reinforcement learning. We recorded the activity of individual amygdala neurons in monkeys while abstract images acquired either positive or negative value through conditioning. After monkeys had learned the initial associations, we reversed image value assignments. We examined neural responses in relation to these reversals in order to estimate the relative contribution to neural activity of the sensory properties of images and their conditioned values. Here we show that changes in the values of images modulate neural activity, and that this modulation occurs rapidly enough to account for, and correlates with, monkeys' learning. Furthermore, distinct populations of neurons encode the positive and negative values of visual stimuli. Behavioural and physiological responses to visual stimuli may therefore be based in part on the plastic representation of value provided by the amygdala.     

基于遗传算法和模拟退火算法优化神经网络的铁路营业里程预测

提出应用遗传算法(GA)和模拟退火(SA)优化神经网络预测铁路营业里程.采用3层前馈神经网络实现铁路营业里程的时间序列预测,输入节点数为5,隐层节点数为8,输出节点数为1.对神经网络的连接权重和节点阈值的确定,采用GA和SA算法相结合的混合优化学习策略.两种算法结合时,SA算法处于外层,GA处于内层.GA采用实数编码,把要确定的神经网络节点连接权重和节点阈值作为基因串.数值计算结果表明混合优化的神经网络的学习速度和精度都比单纯BP算法得出的结果好.因此,用GA-SA混合优化的神经网络预测铁路营业里程是可行的.     

Attractor dynamics of network UP states in the neocortex

The cerebral cortex receives input from lower brain regions, and its function is traditionally considered to be processing that input through successive stages to reach an appropriate output. However, the cortical circuit contains many interconnections, including those feeding back from higher centres, and is continuously active even in the absence of sensory inputs. Such spontaneous firing has a structure that reflects the coordinated activity of specific groups of neurons. Moreover, the membrane potential of cortical neurons fluctuates spontaneously between a resting (DOWN) and a depolarized (UP) state, which may also be coordinated. The elevated firing rate in the UP state follows sensory stimulation and provides a substrate for persistent activity, a network state that might mediate working memory. Using two-photon calcium imaging, we reconstructed the dynamics of spontaneous activity of up to 1,400 neurons in slices of mouse visual cortex. Here we report the occurrence of synchronized UP state transitions ('cortical flashes') that occur in spatially organized ensembles involving small numbers of neurons. Because of their stereotyped spatiotemporal dynamics, we conclude that network UP states are circuit attractors--emergent features of feedback neural networks that could implement memory states or solutions to computational problems.