Coding-accuracy-based estimation of neuronal assembly encoding directional information in different modality of sensory systems

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26440176
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Animal physiology/Animal behavior
• Research Institution: Hokkaido University
• Principal Investigator: Ogawa Hiroto 北海道大学, 理学研究院, 教授 (70301463)
• Research Collaborator: SOMEYA MAKOTO 北海道大学, 大学院生命科学院生命システム科学コース ; TANAKA KAZUKI 北海道大学, 大学院生命科学院生命システム科学コース
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: 昆虫 / 神経回路 / コーディング / 方向選択性 / ニューロン

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We analyzed population coding scheme in wind-sensitive and auditory ascending neurons of the cricket. Decoding analysis of neural activities recorded extracellularly from connective nerve cords revealed that four neuronal units represented the directional information of air currents, while the direction of sound source was not represented by population activities of the auditory neurons. To identify the neuronal components for the population coding, we recorded the somatic responses of wind-sensitive ascending neurons using Ca imaging. The stimulus directions were decoded from the amplitude of Ca responses using a maximum likelihood method. Giant interneurons (GIs) 10-2 and 10-3 had higher decoding accuracy than other neurons, and the matched pair of these neurons encoded more accurate information than individual ones. These results indicated that two pairs of GIs 10-2 and 10-3 would be important components for encoding the directional information in the cricket wind-sensitive system.

Free Research Field

神経生物学