Objectif You’re faced with a difficult choice. What do you do? Most people will, either explicitly or implicitly, weigh the possible consequences their decision. This involves an internal journey through possible events. Its these kinds of dynamic processes and their mapping onto behavior that characterize higher brain function. And yet, their very internal nature is both what makes them of critical interest and so difficult to study. Here, we propose to study a simple, well-controlled decision-making behavior wherein mice have to generate a dynamic, internal representation of elapsed time in order to make choices that result in reward. We focus on frontal cortico-basal ganglia circuits and their dopaminergic inputs that together are broadly implicated in cognition and involved in the production of this particular behavior. We have demonstrated previously that striatal population dynamics and dopamine neuron activity both correlate with and exert control over animals’ judgments. Having identified key signals at multiple stages of the BG circuit related to this decision in rats and mice, my laboratory is now uniquely poised to dissect the circuit mechanisms by which such signals are generated and transformed into actions. Specifically, we will 1) Measure activity of specific cell types at multiple stages of the BG as mice judge duration. 2) Image and manipulate the activity of DA neurons while recording from neural populations in the BG to determine the relationship between neuromodulatory input, neural dynamics, and behavior. 3) Relate the activity of cortico-striatal inputs to striatal responses during behavior to understand the computational and circuit bases of striatal activity. These experiments promise to unlock deep mysteries regarding how animals free themselves from the immediacy of the current moment, learning, planning, and choosing their path toward a safer, more fruitful, and satisfying existence. Mots‑clés basal ganglia decision-making electrophysiology reinforcement learning population coding dopamine Programme(s) H2020-EU.1.1. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - European Research Council (ERC) Main Programme Thème(s) ERC-2017-COG - ERC Consolidator Grant Appel à propositions ERC-2017-COG Voir d’autres projets de cet appel Régime de financement ERC-COG - Consolidator Grant Institution d’accueil FUNDACAO D. ANNA DE SOMMER CHAMPALIMAUD E DR. CARLOS MONTEZ CHAMPALIMAUD Contribution nette de l'UE € 2 000 000,00 Adresse AVENIDA BRASILIA, CENTRO DE INVESTIGACAO DA FUNDACAO CHAMPALIMAUD 1400-038 Lisboa Portugal Voir sur la carte Région Continente Área Metropolitana de Lisboa Área Metropolitana de Lisboa Type d’activité Research Organisations Liens Contacter l’organisation Opens in new window Site web Opens in new window Participation aux programmes de R&I de l'UE Opens in new window Réseau de collaboration HORIZON Opens in new window Coût total € 2 000 000,00 Bénéficiaires (1) Trier par ordre alphabétique Trier par contribution nette de l'UE Tout développer Tout réduire FUNDACAO D. ANNA DE SOMMER CHAMPALIMAUD E DR. CARLOS MONTEZ CHAMPALIMAUD Portugal Contribution nette de l'UE € 2 000 000,00 Adresse AVENIDA BRASILIA, CENTRO DE INVESTIGACAO DA FUNDACAO CHAMPALIMAUD 1400-038 Lisboa Voir sur la carte Région Continente Área Metropolitana de Lisboa Área Metropolitana de Lisboa Type d’activité Research Organisations Liens Contacter l’organisation Opens in new window Site web Opens in new window Participation aux programmes de R&I de l'UE Opens in new window Réseau de collaboration HORIZON Opens in new window Coût total € 2 000 000,00
