Neurobiology of Peptidergic Neurons

神经肽是一种小的蛋白质分子，参与大脑的各种角色，从控制运动到传递感觉信息(如疼痛)。这些化学物质还与更长期的行为变化有关，如学习和记忆、唤醒和各种情绪状态。虽然人们对神经肽的行为影响了解很多，但对这些神经化学物质如何在细胞和分子水平上引起变化的了解相对较少。不幸的是，由于技术上的困难，这类生理学研究目前在哺乳动物身上是不可行的，而且哺乳动物的大脑过于集中和复杂。为了克服这些问题，图布里茨博士利用了相对简单的无脊椎动物神经系统。他专注于一系列神经肽，即心脏加速肽(CAPS)，它们调节几种不同的组织，包括心脏、肠道和中枢神经系统。Tublitz博士将检查单个细胞的生理学，这些细胞合成并释放帽子。他将研究为什么神经肽神经元的数量在动物的一生中发生变化。此外，Tublitz博士将确定帽子对目标组织产生强大和持久影响的分子机制。这些研究目前只能在简单的无脊椎动物制剂中进行，可能会提供关于神经肽功能的新的重要信息，这些信息将适用于所有物种，包括人类。这项工作将有助于更好地理解大脑中的化学物质如何相互作用，以及如何与大脑的神经细胞相互作用来改变行为。

Neuropeptides are small proteinaceous molecules which are involved in a variety of brain roles, ranging from controlling movements to transmitting sensory information such as pain. These chemicals are also implicated in more long-term behavioral changes such as learning and memory, arousal and various emotional states. Although much is known about the behavioral effects of neuropeptides, relatively little is understood about how these neurochemicals cause changes at the cellular and molecular levels. Unfortunately, these sorts of physiological studies are not currently feasible in mammals because of technical difficulties and that the mammalian brain is exceedingly centralized and complex. To overcome these problems, Dr. Tublitz has capitalized on relatively simple nervous system of invertebrates. He concentrates on a family of neuropeptides, the Cardioacceleratory Peptides (CAPs), that modulate several different tissues, including the heart, gut and CNS. Dr. Tublitz will examine the physiology of individual cells which synthesize and release the CAPs. He will examine why the number of neuropeptide neurons change during the animal's lifetime. Moreover, Dr. Tublitz will determine the molecular mechanisms by which the CAPs exert the powerful and long-lasting effects upon the target tissues. These investigations, currently possible only in simple invertebrate preparations, will likely provide new and important information about neuropeptide function that will be applicable to all species, including humans. This work will lead to a better understanding of how the chemicals in the brain interact with each other and with the brain's nerve cells to modify behavior.