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Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/dsp01pg15bh69w
Title: Two-Photon Imaging of Brain Regions in Fissures and Learning Manifolds from Neural Dynamics
Authors: Low, Ryan J.
Advisors: Tank, David W
Contributors: Neuroscience Department
Keywords: Dopamine
Grid cells
Hippocampus
Manifold
Prefrontal cortex
Two-photon microscopy
Subjects: Neurosciences
Issue Date: 2019
Publisher: Princeton, NJ : Princeton University
Abstract: Progress in systems neuroscience requires effective tools and techniques for probing neural circuits, and for analyzing the resulting data in ways that drive theoretical insight. This thesis consists of three parts, aimed broadly toward furthering the measurement and analysis of neural circuits. In the first part, we present methods for two-photon imaging of brain regions situated in deep fissures, enabling the use of cellular resolution optical tools for probing areas such as the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and medial entorhinal cortex (MEC). We demonstrate recordings of population activity in the mPFC and grid cells in the MEC in behaving mice. In the second part, we present an optical approach for measuring dopaminergic input to the mPFC with high spatiotemporal resolution, which has not been feasible using traditional methods. We demonstrate recordings of mPFC dopamine signals in behaving mice, and present preliminary evidence for fine-scale heterogeneity across individual dopaminergic axons. In the third part, we present a new unsupervised learning algorithm for inferring underlying, nonlinear structure in neuronal population activity. We use this algorithm to characterize the geometric properties of hippocampal activity and their relationship to behavior. And, we propose a conceptual model explaining how neural coding and trial-to-trial variability both arise from movement along a low dimensional, nonlinear activity manifold, driven by internal cognitive processes.
URI: http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/dsp01pg15bh69w
Alternate format: The Mudd Manuscript Library retains one bound copy of each dissertation. Search for these copies in the library's main catalog: catalog.princeton.edu
Type of Material: Academic dissertations (Ph.D.)
Language: en
Appears in Collections:Neuroscience

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