Reverse engineering the mouse brain.
Behaviour is governed by activity in highly structured neural circuits. Genetically targeted sensors and switches facilitate measurement and manipulation of activity in vivo, linking activity in defined nodes of neural circuits to behaviour. Because of access to specific cell types, these molecular tools will have the largest impact in genetic model systems such as the mouse. Emerging assays of mouse behaviour are beginning to rival those of behaving monkeys in terms of stimulus and behavioural control. We predict that the confluence of new behavioural and molecular tools in the mouse will reveal the logic of complex mammalian circuits.
O'Connor
Daniel H
DH
Janelia Farm Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, 19700 Helix Drive, Ashburn, Virginia 20147, USA.
Huber
Daniel
D
Svoboda
Karel
K
D000200:Action Potentials; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology; D001921:Brain / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D051379:Mice; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000502:physiology*; D013003:Somatosensory Cortex / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology