Survival in the animal kingdom depends on the rapid acquisition of sensory information and the seamless execution of appropriate motor programs in response to environmental demands. Bridging these two realms of cognition is the complex process of sensorimotor transformation, a phenomenon that is not yet fully understood. The challenges intensify as animals navigate a dynamic environment, forcing them to constantly learn and adapt to new challenges or evolving internal needs.
In the midst of this constant quest for adaptation, the nervous system displays remarkable plasticity, manifesting changes at multiple levels. In fact, multiple plasticity processes are involved in sensory-motor learning. At the population level, sensory-motor learning affects the organization of cortical circuits, with cell assemblies been reorganized. At the cellular level, learning affects the morphology of the neurons involved in these cell assemblies, leading to changes in dendritic spines, axon branching, and the establishment of new synapses. Finally, at the molecular level, learning leads to distinct transcriptomic and translational pathways. While significant progress has been made in understanding the neural mechanism underlying sensory-motor learning, there are still many unanswered questions. How do cortical circuits encode and consolidate motor skills during learning? How do cortical circuits and their interactions contribute to sensory-motor learning? How do neurotransmitters, such as dopamine and acethylcholine, modulate sensory-motor learning? What is the neural mechanism that enables reward to promote plasticity in certain cortical circuits during sensory-motor learning?
We welcome the submissions of Original Research, Reviews, and Method articles that unravel the intricate synaptic mechanisms underlying reward-based sensory learning. We welcome studies that investigate synaptic mechanisms in different brain regions. We encourage a broad range of methodologies, including but not limited to electrophysiology, imaging, neuroanatomy, computational modelling and behavioral analysis. Recent technological advancements such as population functional imaging, two-photon targeted whole-cell patch-clamp recordings, optogenetic and pharmacogenetic manipulations, and single-cell transcriptomic are also welcomed. This integrative approach aims to promote a comprehensive understanding of the neural dynamics orchestrating reward-based sensory learning.
Keywords:
reward-based sensory-motor learning, electrophysiology, Synaptic mechanisms, population functional imaging, two-photon targeted whole-cell patch-clamp recordings, synaptic plasticity
Important Note:
All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
Survival in the animal kingdom depends on the rapid acquisition of sensory information and the seamless execution of appropriate motor programs in response to environmental demands. Bridging these two realms of cognition is the complex process of sensorimotor transformation, a phenomenon that is not yet fully understood. The challenges intensify as animals navigate a dynamic environment, forcing them to constantly learn and adapt to new challenges or evolving internal needs.
In the midst of this constant quest for adaptation, the nervous system displays remarkable plasticity, manifesting changes at multiple levels. In fact, multiple plasticity processes are involved in sensory-motor learning. At the population level, sensory-motor learning affects the organization of cortical circuits, with cell assemblies been reorganized. At the cellular level, learning affects the morphology of the neurons involved in these cell assemblies, leading to changes in dendritic spines, axon branching, and the establishment of new synapses. Finally, at the molecular level, learning leads to distinct transcriptomic and translational pathways. While significant progress has been made in understanding the neural mechanism underlying sensory-motor learning, there are still many unanswered questions. How do cortical circuits encode and consolidate motor skills during learning? How do cortical circuits and their interactions contribute to sensory-motor learning? How do neurotransmitters, such as dopamine and acethylcholine, modulate sensory-motor learning? What is the neural mechanism that enables reward to promote plasticity in certain cortical circuits during sensory-motor learning?
We welcome the submissions of Original Research, Reviews, and Method articles that unravel the intricate synaptic mechanisms underlying reward-based sensory learning. We welcome studies that investigate synaptic mechanisms in different brain regions. We encourage a broad range of methodologies, including but not limited to electrophysiology, imaging, neuroanatomy, computational modelling and behavioral analysis. Recent technological advancements such as population functional imaging, two-photon targeted whole-cell patch-clamp recordings, optogenetic and pharmacogenetic manipulations, and single-cell transcriptomic are also welcomed. This integrative approach aims to promote a comprehensive understanding of the neural dynamics orchestrating reward-based sensory learning.
Keywords:
reward-based sensory-motor learning, electrophysiology, Synaptic mechanisms, population functional imaging, two-photon targeted whole-cell patch-clamp recordings, synaptic plasticity
Important Note:
All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.