The distribution of tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactivity in the brains of male and female zebra finches

A system of brain nuclei controls song learning and behavior in zebra finches (Poephila guttata). The size of song-control nuclei are much larger in males, which sing, than in females, which do not sing. This study examined the distribution of fibers, terminals, and cell bodies that are immunoreactive for tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) (the rate-limiting enzyme in the synthesis of catecholamines) in song-control nuclei of adult males and females and juvenile males. In addition, the broad pattern of TH staining throughout the brain was described. There was a sex difference in TH immunoreactivity within song-control nuclei: males had light to moderate staining in all three cortical nuclei examined, whereas females had little or no label in corresponding areas [lateral magnocellular nucleus of the anterior neostriatum (IMAN), higher vocal center (HVC), and robust nucleus of the archistriatum (RA)]. The song-control nucleus area X (X), located in the striatum of avian basal ganglia, was more darkly stained than the surrounding striatum only in males; X was not defined by more intense immunoreactivity in females and hence could not be visualized. There were no apparent differences in TH staining in males ranging in age from 50 days to adulthood (>90 days). Outside of the song-control system there were no substantive differences as a function of sex or age in the pattern or intensity of TH labeling. Major areas of telencephalic staining included the striatal region of basal ganglia, which was covered with dense, fine-grained label, and the septum, where cell bodies were encircled by extremely well-labeled thick processes. In the diencephalon, the preoptic area and hypothalamus included a complex pattern of darkly stained somata and fiber and terminal labeling. Darkly stained somata surrounded the pretectal nucleus, and labeled processes ramified throughout the superficial layers of the optic tectum. The midbrain and hindbrain contained a dense plexus of extremely dark cell bodies corresponding to mammalian substantia nigra, adjacent tegmental areas, and locus ceruleus. Labeled hindbrain cells were also seen in the pontine region, around nucleus solitarius, and in the ventrolateral medulla. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Circuits,hormones, and learning: Vocal behavior in songbirds

Species-typical vocal patterns subserve species identification and communication for individual organisms. Only a few groups of organisms learn the sounds used for vocal communication, including songbirds, humans, and cetaceans. Vocal learning in songbirds has come to serve as a model system for the study of brain-behavior relationships and neural mechanisms of learning and memory. Songbirds learn specific vocal patterns during a sensitive period of development via a complex assortment of neurobehavioral mechanisms. In many species of songbirds, the production of vocal behavior by adult males is used to defend territories and attract females, and both males and females must perceive vocal patterns and respond to them. In both juveniles and adults, specific types of auditory experience are necessary for initial song learning as well as the maintenance of stable song patterns. External sources of experience such as acoustic cues must be integrated with internal regulatory factors such as hormones, neurotransmitters, and cytokines for vocal patterns to be learned and produced. Thus, vocal behavior in songbirds is a culturally acquired trait that is regulated by multiple intrinsic as well as extrinsic factors. Here, we focus on functional relationships between circuitry and behavior in male songbirds. In that context, we consider in particular the influence of sex hormones on vocal behavior and its underlying circuitry, as well as the regulatory and functional mechanisms suggested by morphologic changes in the neural substrate for song control. We describe new data on the architecture of the song system that suggests strong similarities between the songbird vocal control system and neural circuits for memory, cognition, and use-dependent plasticity in the mammalian brain. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Neurobiol 33: 602–618, 1997     

Effects of special brain area regional cerebral blood flow abnormal perfusion on learning and memory function and its molecular mechanism in rats

To study the effect of special brain area regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) abnormal perfusion on learning and memory function and its molecular mechanism, 64 adult male healthy Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into two groups, the false operation group (control group) and the operation group (model group). After surgical operation, the operation group undertook bilateral common carotid artery permanent ligation, while the other group did not. Learning and memory function were measured by Y-maze at 4 h, 8 h, 24 h and 3 d after surgical operation, respectively. The rCBF of the right frontal lobe and hippocampus was also detected by the PerifluxPF model laser Doppler flowmetry, and the expressions of c-fos or c-jun or Bcl-2 and Bax were also measured by immune histochemistry S-P method accordingly. Results showed that the rCBF of the right frontal lobe and hippocampus in the operation group was significantly lower than that in the false operation group (P < 0.05). The learning indexes, error number (EN), day of reach standard and total reaction time (TRT) in the operation group, were significantly higher than that in the false operation group (P < 0.05). However, the initiative evasion rate in the operation group was significantly lower than that in the false operation group. The study also found that the rCBF was relatively more, the indexes (EN, the day of reach standard and TRT) relatively fewer, but the initiative evasion rate and the memory keeping rate were relatively more. The positive expression and the average absorbency of Fos and Jun in the operation group were significantly higher than that in the false operation group (P < 0.05). Furthermore, Bax and Bcl-2 positive cells were all increased over time in the operation group, and the expression ratio of Bax/Bcl-2 in the operation group was significantly higher than that in the false operation group (P < 0.01). In conclusion, rCBF decrease can impair the learning and memory function in rats, which may be related to the increase of the expression ratio of c-fos or c-jun or Bcl-2 or Bax in the frontal cortex and hippocampus.     

Effects of special brain area regional cerebral blood flow abnormal perfusion on learning and memory function and its molecular mechanism in rats

s To study the effect of special brain area regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) abnormal perfusion on learning and memory function and its molecular mechanism,64 adult male healthy Spragne-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into two groups,the false operation group (control group) and the operation group (model group).After surgical operation,the operation group undertook bilateral common carotid artery permanent ligation,while the other group did not.Learning and memory function were measured by Y-maze at 4 h,8 h,24 h and 3 d after surgical operation,respectively.The rCBF of the right frontal lobe and hippocampus was also detected by the PerifluxPF model laser Doppler flowmetry,and the expressions of c-fos or c-jun or Bcl-2 and Bax were also measured by immune histochemistry S-P method accordingly.Results showed that the rCBF of the right frontal lobe and hippocampus in the operation group was significantly lower than that in the false operation group (P ＜ 0.05).The learning indexes,error number (EN),day of reach standard and total reaction time (TRT) in the operation group,were significantly higher than that in the false operation group (P＜ 0.05).However,the initiative evasion rate in the operation group was significantly lower than that in the false operation group.The study also found that the rCBF was relatively more,the indexes (EN,the day of reach standard and TRT) relatively fewer,but the initiative evasion rate and the memory keeping rate were relatively more.The positive expression and the average absorbency of Fos and Jun in the operation group were significantly higher than that in the false operation group (P＜ 0.05).Furthermore,Bax and Bcl-2 positive cells were all increased over time in the operation group,and the expression ratio of Bax/Bcl-2 in the operation group was significantly higher than that in the false operation group (P＜0.01).In conclusion,rCBF decrease can impair the learning and memory function in rats,which may be related to the increase of the expression ratio of c-fos or c-jun or Bcl-2 or Bax in the frontal cortex and hippocampus.     

Brain-like Intelligent Decision-making Based on Basal Ganglia and Its Application in Automatic Car-following

The anthropomorphic intelligence of autonomous driving has been a research hotspot in the world.However,current stud-ies have not been able to reveal the mechanism of drivers'natural driving behaviors.Therefore,this thesis starts from the perspective of cognitive decision-making in the human brain,which is inspired by the regulation of dopamine feedback in the basal ganglia,and a reinforcement learning model is established to solve the brain-like intelligent decision-making problems in the process of interacting with the environment.In this thesis,first,a detailed bionic mechanism architecture based on basal ganglia was proposed by the consideration and analysis of its feedback regulation mechanism;second,the above mechanism was transformed into a reinforcement Q-learning model,so as to implement the learning and adaptation abilities of an intelligent vehicle for brain-like intelligent decision-making during car-following;finally,the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method were verified by the simulations and real vehicle tests.     

Biologically constrained action selection improves cognitive control in a model of the Stroop task

The Stroop task is a paradigmatic psychological task for investigating stimulus conflict and the effect this has on response selection. The model of Cohen et al. (Cohen et al. 1990 Psychol. Rev. 97, 332-361) has hitherto provided the best account of performance in the Stroop task, but there remains certain key data that it fails to match. We show that this failure is due to the mechanism used to perform final response selection-one based on the diffusion model of choice behaviour (Ratcliff 1978 Psychol. Rev. 85, 59-108). We adapt the model to use a selection mechanism which is based on the putative human locus of final response selection, the basal ganglia/thalamo-cortical complex (Redgrave et al. 1999 Neuroscience 89, 1009-1023). This improves the match to the core human data and, additionally, makes it possible for the model to accommodate, in a principled way, additional mechanisms of cognitive control that enable better fits to the data. This work prompts a critique of the diffusion model as a mechanism of response selection, and the features that any response mechanism must possess to provide adaptive action selection. We conclude that the consideration of biologically constrained solutions to the action selection problem is vital to the understanding and improvement of cognitive models of response selection.     

条件性运动学习的神经基础

人和动物形成多样的、快速可变的刺激－反应联合关系的过程被称为条件性运动学习。条件性运动学习使得人和动物具有很强的适应优势。损毁或行为电生理研究表明：运动前区背外侧部、基底神经节以及前额叶皮层腹侧部在条件性运动学习中起至关重要的作用;海马在条件性运动学习中也起着一定的作用;而杏仁核等一些结构在条件性运动学习中不起作用。     

Striatal bilateral control of skilled forelimb movement

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自闭症患者大脑语言功能的异常偏侧化研究进展

自闭症谱系障碍(autismspectrumdisorders,ASD)是一种广泛发展障碍,以社会交往障碍、言语和非言语交流缺陷、兴趣狭窄和行为刻板等为主要临床特征.本文简述了自闭症的核心症状——语言障碍,回顾了自1986年以来,对自闭症语言障碍神经机制的研究,从其大脑结构、功能不对称性及相关利手因素的影响三个方面,综述了自闭症语言功能的异常偏侧化领域的研究成果和进展,期望为自闭症语言障碍的鉴别与治疗提供帮助,并促进汉语背景下自闭症患者的语言功能偏侧化研究.     

Complementary roles of basal ganglia and cerebellum in learning and motor control

The classical notion that the basal ganglia and the cerebellum are dedicated to motor control has been challenged by the accumulation of evidence revealing their involvement in non-motor, cognitive functions. From a computational viewpoint, it has been suggested that the cerebellum, the basal ganglia, and the cerebral cortex are specialized for different types of learning: namely, supervised learning, reinforcement learning and unsupervised learning, respectively. This idea of learning-oriented specialization is helpful in understanding the complementary roles of the basal ganglia and the cerebellum in motor control and cognitive functions.     

Wave-like dopamine dynamics as a mechanism for spatiotemporal credit assignment

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Impulsivity, compulsivity, and top-down cognitive control

Impulsivity is the tendency to act prematurely without foresight. Behavioral and neurobiological analysis of this construct, with evidence from both animal and human studies, defines several dissociable forms depending on distinct cortico-striatal substrates. One form of impulsivity depends on the temporal discounting of reward, another on motor or response disinhibition. Impulsivity is commonly associated with addiction to drugs from different pharmacological classes, but its causal role in human addiction is unclear. We characterize in neurobehavioral and neurochemical terms a rodent model of impulsivity based on premature responding in an attentional task. Evidence is surveyed that high impulsivity on this task precedes the escalation subsequently of cocaine self-administration behavior, and also a tendency toward compulsive cocaine-seeking and to relapse. These results indicate that the vulnerability to stimulant addiction may depend on an impulsivity endophenotype. Implications of these findings for the etiology, development, and treatment of drug addiction are considered.     

Neural connectivity and cortical substrates of cognition in hominoids

Cognitive functions and information processing recruit discrete neural systems in the cortex and white matter. We tested the idea that specific regions in the cerebrum are differentially enlarged in humans and that some of the neural reorganizational events that took place during hominoid evolution were species-specific and independent of changes in absolute brain size. We used magnetic resonance images of the living brains of 10 human and 17 ape subjects to obtain volumetric estimates of regions of interest. We parcellated the white matter in the frontal and temporal lobes into two sectors, including the white matter immediately underlying the cortex (gyral white matter) and the rest of white matter (core). We outlined the dorsal, mesial, and orbital subdivisions of the frontal lobe and analyzed the relationship between cortex and gyral white matter within each subdivision. For all regions analyzed, the observed human values are as large as expected, with the exception of the gyral white matter, which is larger than expected in humans. We found that orangutans had a relatively smaller orbital sector than any other great ape species, with no overlap in individual values. We found that the relative size of the dorsal subdivision is larger in chimpanzees than in bonobos, and that the ratio of gyral white matter to cortex stands out in Pan in comparison to Gorilla and Pongo. Individual variability, possible sex differences, and hemispheric asymmetries were present not only in humans, but in apes as well. Differences in the distribution of neural connectivity and cortical sectors were identified among great ape species that share similar absolute brain sizes. Given that these regions are part of neural systems with distinct functional attributes, we suggest that the observed differences may reflect different evolutionary pressures on regulatory mechanisms of complex cognitive functions, including social cognition.     

Inhibitory control in zebrafish,Danio rerio

We assessed whether zebrafish, Danio rerio, display inhibitory control using a simple and rapid behavioural test. Zebrafish were exposed to a prey stimulus placed inside a transparent tube, which initially elicited attack behaviour. However, zebrafish showed a rapid reduction in the number of attacks towards the prey, which indicated the ability to inhibit their foraging behaviour. Zebrafish also exhibited mnemonic retention of foraging inhibition, as indicated by a reduced number of attacks in a subsequent exposure to the unreachable prey. The ability to inhibit the foraging behaviour varied across three genetically separated wild-type strains and across different individuals within strains, suggesting that zebrafish show heritable within-species differences in inhibitory control. Our behavioural test might be suitable for screening large zebrafish populations in mutational studies and assessing the effects of pharmacologically active substances on inhibitory control.     

Minimal models of top-down control of phytoplankton

1. A set of models describing the dynamics of top-down control of phytoplankton by Daphnia in lakes is reviewed. The basis of these models is a simple and well-known model that has been used, among other things, to demonstrate the paradox of enrichment.
2. We discuss minimal extensions that allow this model to mimic the effects of spatial heterogeneity, planktivory, seasonality and inedible algae.
3. These models generate hypotheses about mechanisms that may cause patterns observed in the field such as:

4. We discuss the way in which such very simple models may contribute to the building of theories about plankton dynamics in the field, and the caveats of interpreting wrongly the message from models.     

High Frequency Stimulation of the Subthalamic Nucleus Eliminates Pathological Thalamic Rhythmicity in a Computational Model

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) or the internal segment of the globus pallidus (GPi) has recently been recognized as an important form of intervention for alleviating motor symptoms associated with Parkinson's disease, but the mechanism underlying its effectiveness remains unknown. Using a computational model, this paper considers the hypothesis that DBS works by replacing pathologically rhythmic basal ganglia output with tonic, high frequency firing. In our simulations of parkinsonian conditions, rhythmic inhibition from GPi to the thalamus compromises the ability of thalamocortical relay (TC) cells to respond to depolarizing inputs, such as sensorimotor signals. High frequency stimulation of STN regularizes GPi firing, and this restores TC responsiveness, despite the increased frequency and amplitude of GPi inhibition to thalamus that result. We provide a mathematical phase plane analysis of the mechanisms that determine TC relay capabilities in normal, parkinsonian, and DBS states in a reduced model. This analysis highlights the differences in deinactivation of the low-threshold calcium T -current that we observe in TC cells in these different conditions. Alternative scenarios involving convergence of thalamic signals in the cortex are also discussed, and predictions associated with these results, including the occurrence of rhythmic rebound bursts in certain TC cells in parkinsonian states and their drastic reduction by DBS, are stated. These results demonstrate how DBS could work by increasing firing rates of target cells, rather than shutting them down.