International Research Fellow Award: Synaptic integration and propagation of layer I inputs to the soma of layer V pyramidal neurons of the prefrontal cortex.

国际研究员奖励计划使美国科学家和工程师能够在国外进行三到二十四个月的研究。该项目的奖项提供了联合研究的机会，并利用国外独特或互补的设施、专业知识和实验条件。该奖项将为Allan T.Gulledge博士提供24个月的支持，以便与澳大利亚堪培拉澳大利亚国立大学John Curtain医学研究学院的Greg Stuart博士合作。前额叶皮质中的锥体神经元接收来自远端树突上其他皮质区域的信息。这个项目将调查树枝状的电导是否放大了这些输入。为了研究远端突触输入如何整合到哺乳动物大脑皮层的单个树突状细胞中，将检验三个假说。1)I层突触输入足以在这些神经元的顶束中诱导Na+和/或Ca+峰；2)I层兴奋性输入通过与反向传播的躯体诱发动作电位相互作用来调节这些神经元的动作电位产生模式；3)前额叶皮质中的一个重要的神经调节剂多巴胺抑制I层兴奋性突触后电位向这些V层细胞胞体的传播。他开创了记录脑片中神经元树突的技术。

0076185GulledgeThe International Research Fellow Awards Program enables U.S. scientists and engineers to conduct three to twenty-four months of research abroad. The program's awards provide opportunities for joint research, and the use of unique or complementary facilities, expertise and experimental conditions abroad.This award will provide Dr. Allan T. Gulledge with support for 24 months to work with Dr. Greg Stuart at the John Curtain School of Medical Research at Australian National University in Canberra, Australia.Pyramidal neurons in the prefrontal cortex receive information from other cortical areas on distal dendrites. This project will investigate whether dendritic conductances amplify these inputs. To study how distal synaptic inputs are integrated within individual dendritic trees in the mammalian cortex, three hypotheses will be tested. 1) Layer I synaptic input is sufficient to induce Na+ and/or Ca+ spikes in the apical tufts of these neurons; 2) Layer I excitatory inputs modulate the pattern of action potential generation in these neurons by interacting with back propagating somatically evoked action potentials; and 3) Dopamine, a prominent neuromodulator in the prefrontal cortex inhibits the propagation of layer I excitory postsynaptic potentials toward the soma of these layer V cells.The host, Dr. Stuart has extensive experience in the field of synaptic integration in cortical neurons. He pioneered techniques for recording from dendritic processes of neurons in brain slices.