|
Sensorimotor transformations in zebrafish reticulospinal neurons.
Sensorimotor transformations are the neural processes that underlie the
ability to use sensory information to guide motor behavior. This ability
raises an interesting neuroscientific question: how is the neural
representation of sensory information, such as an object’s location,
transformed into the neural representation of a movement? Reticulospinal
(RS) neurons are sensorimotor neurons in the vertebrate hindbrain. They
receive sensory input and relay motor control signals to the spinal cord
through long descending axons. My lab studies the sensorimotor function of
RS neurons in zebrafish larvae because, in these animals, RS neurons are
individually identifiable and the structure and behavioral function of
their synaptic connections can be precisely characterized. A combination
of methods are used, including neuroanatomical observations,
immunolabeling of synaptic markers, physiological recording and laser
ablation of identified neurons, and behavior analysis, to answer basic
questions about RS sensorimotor function. These studies would not be
possible in more complex vertebrates and, therefore, have the potential to
reveal new principles of sensorimotor processing in the vertebrate
hindbrain brain.
|