Wolfgang Stein, Ph.D. - US grants

Central pattern generators are networks or individual nerve cells in animals and humans that govern vital functions of the body, including breathing, swallowing and chewing. Their activity is robust, but switches between different states when body or environmental conditions change. Such switches can be achieved by control neurons that release neuromodulators - chemical substances that dramatically alter network behavior. Control neurons collect information from all senses, but their conjoint activity and how their activity leads to appropriate behavioral responses is unknown. This proposal asks how sensory information is encoded by these nerve cells and how appropriate behavioral responses are selected. The hypothesis that appropriate behavioral responses are encoded in the population activity of control neurons will be tested in the stomatogastric nervous system of crabs, a powerful model system with unique access to neurons.

The researchers will use a combination of high-end optical imaging and intracellular electrophysiology to measure and manipulate most control neurons while they select the appropriate behaviors during sensory stimulation. Expected results are that the encoding of sensory stimuli differs between different sensory inputs and that these differences are necessary and sufficient to cause switches in behavior. The proposed research provides comprehensive training for students at different stages of their careers (undergraduate, graduate and postdoc) and teaches a variety of established and recently developed scientific techniques. It will open new lines of research in systems where the investigation of control networks is not feasible due to the sheer number of neurons. Revealing the mechanisms of behavioral selection is crucial to our understanding of nervous system function and, ultimately, a prerequisite for the treatment of sensory disorders such as autism and learning disabilities. This project will also instruct engineers about ways of decision making without dedicated pathways and may thus lead to new and efficient neural networks in machines and robots.

An award is made to Illinois State University (ISU) to acquire a multichannel laser scanning confocal microscope. The instrument will provide advanced imaging capabilities to ISU students and faculty in Physics, Chemistry, and Biological Sciences, as well as institutions across the Midwest region. As the centerpiece of the ISU Biological Sciences Microscopy Core Facility, the microscope will greatly enhance ISU's research infrastructure, enabling high-resolution three dimensional reconstructions of cells and tissues, time-lapse imaging of dynamic cellular processes in live samples, and advanced fluorescence techniques. ISU's diverse population of undergraduates will be able to use the facility as part of mentored independent research projects; over 50 undergraduate researchers per year are projected to learn widely useful STEM skills through this training. K-12 students will be exposed to concepts in cells, tissues, light microscopy, biotechnology, and neuroscience, through several ongoing outreach programs such as the Illinois Summer Research Academy. Students from groups underrepresented in science will be recruited for training via ISU's Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation. Future and current K-12 science teachers will train on the instrument to gain practical research experience, for example in the NSF-funded project "Noyce Scholarships for STEM Teachers of Under-Represented Groups". 20-30 graduate students/year will use the facility to pursue new avenues of research, ultimately contributing new skills to the Illinois STEM workforce. Positive societal impacts of the project also include agricultural and environmental advances. It will promote the USDA-funded development of pennycress as a new winter cover crop, reducing soil erosion and nitrogen runoff from barren fields while profitably producing oilseed for generating biofuels.

The microscope will support the projects of seven main research labs, advancing knowledge in genetics, cell biology, development, neuroscience, and plant science. Projects include: regulation of protein quality control in response to aging and oxidative stress; interactions among proteins that control directional growth of plant cells; mechanisms of gene silencing and meiotic drive in fungi; effects of newly synthesized chemicals on parasitic Leishmania; how nematode worms detect and respond to magnetic fields; in vivo roles of the cell's cortical cytoskeleton in organismal development and tissue maintenance; and regulation of neural activity by sensory inputs and neuromodulators. New capabilities provided by the award will allow users to expand the scope of their research; the system will feature a broad range of excitation wavelengths; rapid scanning; high-sensitivity, low noise photon detectors; sub-200 nm spatial resolution; and fluorescence lifetime data. The users engage in nation-wide and international research collaborations, which will be expanded and strengthened by the added capabilities.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.