Regulation of the Reproductive and Stress Axes by the Metabolic Signal, Leptin.

摘要IBN 97-28032 PI=Thompson，Robert C.通过代谢信号调节生殖轴和应激轴，瘦素食物的可获得性影响生殖功能。理解以及许多其他身体功能的关键在于我们理解大脑如何收集有关食物可获得性的信息的能力。最近，一种名为瘦素的荷尔蒙的发现填补了我们在理解食物供应如何控制生殖方面的一个主要空白。大多数动物的血瘦素浓度在餐后升高，向大脑报告饱腹感的信号。大脑如何感知这些饱腹感的信号，如瘦素，目前才刚刚开始被了解。汤普森博士将确定大脑如何感知瘦素，更具体地说，是将瘦素信息传达给控制生殖功能的大脑中心。在这项研究计划中检验的一个假说是，有关食物可获得性改变的信息通过参与感知“压力”的大脑中心传递到生殖大脑中心。当来自不同背景的研究证明了两点时，这个想法就产生了。首先，压力或有压力的经历会对生殖系统产生负面影响。其次，在食物可获得性非常低的条件下，控制压力的大脑系统被激活。因此，食物供应非常短缺的条件是有压力的。然而，鲜为人知的是，这些应激系统的激活是否是将有关食物供应严重减少的信息传递给生殖系统的途径。这将在这个项目中得到检验。此外，除瘦素外，还有许多分子可作为“食物信号”。另一个信号是葡萄糖。不同的食物信号是否使用相同的途径与生殖系统通信，或者每种食物信号都有独特的途径吗？用类似的逻辑，所有的压力情况或状况都会受到食物信号的影响吗？汤普森博士将探索这些问题，在这项工作中开发的信息将被用来进一步了解大脑如何利用食物信息来控制生殖功能。

ABSTRACT IBN 97-28032 PI = THOMPSON, ROBERT C. Regulation of Reproductive and Stress Axes by the Metabolic Signal, Leptin Food availability affects reproductive function. Key to understanding as well as many other bodily functions, lies in our ability to understand how the brain gathers information on the availability of food. A major gap in our understanding of how food availability controls reproduction was filled recently with the discovery of a hormone called leptin. Blood leptin concentrations increase after meals in most animals reporting to the brain a satiety signal. Exactly how the brain senses these satiety signals like leptin is only beginning to be understood. Dr. Thompson will determine how the brain senses leptin and more specifically, communicates this leptin information to brain centers that control reproductive function. One hypothesis tested in this research plan is that information about altered food availability is relayed to the reproductive brain centers via brain centers that are involved in sensing "stress". This idea arose when researches from different backgrounds demonstrated two points. First, stress or stressful experiences have negative effects upon reproductive systems. Second, during conditions where food availability is very low, brain systems known to control stress are activated. Thus, conditions where food is in very short supply are stressful. However, little is known if the activation of these stress systems is the path by which information concerning severely reduced food availability is communicated to reproductive systems. This will be examined in this project. Additionally, many molecules in addition to leptin serve as "food signals". One other signal is glucose. Do different food signals communicate to the reproductive system using the same pathways or are there unique pathways for each food signal? Using similar logic, are all stressful situations or conditions influence d by food signals? Dr. Thompson will explore these questions and information developed in this work will be used to further understand how the brain uses food information to control reproductive function.