DeNardo Laura, Luo Liqun
Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Department of Biology, Stanford University, United States.
Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Department of Biology, Stanford University, United States.
Curr Opin Neurobiol. 2017 Aug;45:121-129. doi: 10.1016/j.conb.2017.05.014. Epub 2017 May 31.
A major goal of modern neuroscience is to understand how ensembles of neurons participate in neural circuits underlying behavior. The recent explosion of genetically-encoded circuit analysis tools has allowed neuroscientists to characterize molecularly-defined neuronal types with unprecedented detail. However, since neurons defined by molecular expression can be functionally heterogeneous, targeting circuit analysis tools to neurons based on their activity is critical to elucidating the neural basis of behavior. Here we review genetic strategies to access activated neurons and characterize their functional properties, molecular profiles, connectivity, and causal roles in sensory-coding, memory, and valence-encoding. We also discuss future possibilities for improving these strategies and using them to screen brain-wide activity patterns underlying adaptive and maladaptive behaviors.
现代神经科学的一个主要目标是了解神经元群体如何参与行为背后的神经回路。最近基因编码的电路分析工具的激增，使神经科学家能够以前所未有的细节来描述分子定义的神经元类型。然而，由于由分子表达定义的神经元在功能上可能是异质的，基于神经元的活动将电路分析工具靶向这些神经元，对于阐明行为的神经基础至关重要。在这里，我们回顾了用于获取激活神经元并表征其功能特性、分子特征、连接性以及在感觉编码、记忆和效价编码中的因果作用的遗传策略。我们还讨论了改进这些策略并利用它们来筛选适应性和适应不良行为背后全脑活动模式的未来可能性。
