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Stop Animal
Exploitation NOW!
S. A. E. N.
"Exposing the truth to wipe
out animal experimentation"
Government Grants Promoting Cruelty to Animals
Washington University, St. Louis, MO
DORA E. ANGELAKI - Primate Testing - 2006
Grant Number: 5R01DC004260-08
Project Title: Neural Mechanisms of Vestibular Function
PI Information: PROFESSOR DORA E. ANGELAKI,
angelaki@pcg.wustl.edu
Abstract: DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant):
To navigate and act effectively through a complex three-dimensional (3D)
environment, we must accurately estimate our own motion and orientation
relative to nearby objects. Although multi-modal in nature, both the
perception of self-motion and self-orientation, as well as the precise
monitoring of changes in our head or gaze relative to objects of
interest, require contributions from the vestibular system, which
provides information about the angular and linear acceleration of the
head in space. The long-term goal of these studies is to understand the
thalamo-cortical processing of vestibular information, pertinent to the
elucidation of the neural correlates for motion perception, spatial
orientation and control of movement. As a first step in delineating
these unexplored neural correlates of higher vestibular processing, we
propose here to characterize pre-cortical neural pathways, focusing
first on the neural processing in the two main thalamic projections from
the vestibular nuclei (VN) and prepositus hypoglossi (PH) to the ventral
posterior nuclei (VPN) and the intralaminar nuclei (ILN) of the
thalamus. Experiments proposed here are motivated by a central
hypothesis where these two vestibulo-thalamic pathways participate in
two distinct functions: The VPN pathway represents the conduit of
vestibular signals involved in selfmotion perception. The ILN pathway,
on the other hand, provides cortical eye fields with the necessary
extraretinal signals (including an efference copy of gaze changes)
required to update retinal information for nonretinotopic saccades. To
address the validity of these hypotheses, we propose a multi-faceted
approach using multiple techniques, including single unit recording,
antidromic identification of physiologically-characterized neurons, dual
tracer injections, as well as reversible inactivation while animals
perform behavioral tasks. The proposed experiments will test for the
first time a direct link between vestibular neural activities and
perception and will bridge the gap between traditional vestibular system
analysis and modern, functionally-relevant, stochastic correlation
analysis techniques relating neural activities with animal's behavioral
choices.
Thesaurus Terms:
neural plasticity, neuroregulation, sensory discrimination, vestibular
apparatus, vestibuloocular reflex
gravity, otocyst /otolith, saccade, vestibular pathway
Macaca mulatta, behavioral /social science research tag,
electrophysiology
Institution: WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY
1 BROOKINGS DR, CAMPUS BOX 1054
SAINT LOUIS, MO 631304899
Fiscal Year: 2006
Department: ANATOMY AND NEUROBIOLOGY
Project Start: 01-SEP-1999
Project End: 31-AUG-2009
ICD: NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON DEAFNESS AND OTHER COMMUNICATION
DISORDERS
IRG: ZRG1
The Journal of Neuroscience, February 7, 2007, 27(6):1346-1355
A Reevaluation of the Inverse Dynamic Model for Eye
Movements
Andrea M. Green,1 Hui Meng,2
and Dora E. Angelaki2
1Département de Physiologie, Université
de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada H3T 1J4, and 2Department
of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Washington University School of Medicine,
St. Louis, Missouri 63110
Animal preparation.
Four juvenile Macacca mulatta and one Macacca fascicularis monkeys were
prepared for chronic recording of binocular eye movements and
single-unit activities. Each animal was chronically implanted with a
delrin head stabilization ring that was secured to the skull with
inverted stainless steel T bolts. A delrin recording platform
(consisting of a staggered matrix of holes spaced 0.8 mm apart) was
stereotaxically placed inside the ring and served as a guide for
electrode placement. In three of the animals, the platform was implanted
with a 10° lateral/medial slant to allow bilateral access to the
prepositus hypoglossi and abducens/oculomotor nerves and nuclei. Each
animal was also implanted with dual eye coils on both eyes that were
calibrated as explained in detail previously (Angelaki, 1998 ; Angelaki
et al., 2000 ). All surgical procedures were performed under sterile
conditions in accordance with institutional and National Institutes of
Health guidelines.
Experimental set-up.
During experiments, monkeys were seated upright in a primate chair
secured inside a motion delivery system that consisted of a
three-dimensional (3D) vestibular turntable mounted on a linear sled (Acutronics,
Pittsburgh, PA). Binocular eye movements were measured with a
three-field magnetic search coil system (16 inch cube; CNC Engineering,
Seattle, WA) that was attached to the inner gimbal of the vestibular
turntable. Visual targets were back-projected onto a flat screen mounted
20 cm away from the animal. A wall-mounted laser and x–y mirror
galvanometer system (General Scanning, Billerica, MA) provided
world-fixed targets for gaze stabilization during head/body motion. A
second laser-galvanometer system was mounted on top of the vestibular
turntable such that it moved with the animal and provided a head-fixed
target; this enabled evaluation of neural responses to vestibular
stimulation when eye movements were suppressed or cancelled (i.e., VOR
cancellation tasks). The second system was also used to provide visual
targets for fixation and smooth pursuit tasks.
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Please email: DORA E. ANGELAKI,
angelaki@pcg.wustl.edu to protest the inhumane use of animals in this
experiment. We would also love to know about your efforts with this
cause:
saen@saenonline.org
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Return to Washington University, St. Louis, MO
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Rats, mice, birds, amphibians and other animals have
been excluded from coverage by the Animal Welfare Act. Therefore research
facility reports do not include these animals. As a result of this
situation, a blank report, or one with few animals listed, does not mean
that a facility has not performed experiments on non-reportable animals. A
blank form does mean that the facility in question has not used covered
animals (primates, dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, pigs,
sheep, goats, etc.). Rats and mice alone are believed to comprise over 90%
of the animals used in experimentation. Therefore the majority of animals
used at research facilities are not even counted.
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