CAA: The Neurochemical Basis of Puberty in Ferrets

CAA：雪貂青春期的神经化学基础

• 批准号: 9707642
• 负责人: Kathleen Ryan
• 金额: $ 5.94万
• 依托单位: Magee - Women's Hospital
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 1998
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 1998-01-01 至 1999-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=9707642&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: CAA; Neurochemical; Basis; Puberty; Ferrets

9707642 Ryan Career Advancement Awards expand the opportunity for women researchers to advance their career. Dr. Ryan will use these funds to acquire new anatomical and neurochemical skills that will expand her research capabilities that can then be used to tackle the understanding of the neural mechanisms underling puberty. Puberty is defined by the process of sexual maturation during which an individual becomes fertile. Dr. Ryan is interested in the neural mechanisms controlling the onset of puberty. She is using an animal model in which puberty can be advanced or delayed by modulating the ambient photoperiod. Thus, Dr. Ryan can compare animals of the same age, some of which were within a known number of days from maturation, or already mature, and others which were still immature and would remain so for several months longer. Evidence suggests that two systems, the gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) system and the dopamine secreting neurons in hypothalamic regions, may be involved in onset of puberty. With the Career Advancement Award, she will learn state-of-the-art neuroanatomical techniques to identify and track the function of these two major neuronal systems. She will also learn the procedure and then set up in vivo microdialysis in her own laboratory to enable an analysis of the neurotransmitters during the pubertal process. These techniques can then be used in her model system to provide a better understanding of the neural and hormonal mechanisms underlying a major developmental process, puberty.

9707642瑞安职业发展奖扩大了女性研究人员的机会，以促进他们的职业生涯。 Ryan博士将利用这些资金获得新的解剖学和神经化学技能，这将扩大她的研究能力，然后可以用来解决青春期神经机制的理解。 青春期的定义是性成熟的过程，在此期间，一个人变得肥沃。 Ryan博士对控制青春期开始的神经机制感兴趣。 她正在使用一种动物模型，通过调节环境光周期可以提前或延迟青春期。 因此，Ryan博士可以比较相同年龄的动物，其中一些动物在成熟的已知天数内，或者已经成熟，而另一些动物仍然不成熟，并且会持续几个月。 有证据表明，两个系统，促性腺激素释放激素（GnRH）系统和下丘脑区域的多巴胺分泌神经元，可能参与青春期的开始。 凭借职业进步奖，她将学习最先进的神经解剖技术，以识别和跟踪这两个主要神经元系统的功能。 她还将学习该程序，然后在自己的实验室中建立体内微透析，以分析青春期过程中的神经递质。 然后，这些技术可以用于她的模型系统中，以更好地理解主要发育过程（青春期）背后的神经和激素机制。