RUI: Thyroid Hormone Physiology in Adult Rat Brain

甲状腺激素在大脑中的作用被认为仅限于影响早期发育期间的基因表达，但新的证据表明甲状腺激素可以影响成年大脑。罗格斯大学卡姆登校区的研究人员发现，成年大鼠大脑中的甲状腺激素对基因表达以外的几种生化机制有特定的影响。这些和其他数据表明，甲状腺激素在成熟的中枢神经系统中具有一种新型的信号传导功能。定义CNS中化学信号的关键特征包括：（a）大脑作用部位物质水平的生理相关变化，和（B）导致（c）大脑活动功能显著改变的细胞反应的特异性调节。由于潜在的细胞反应已被确定较早，目前的研究将与时间模式的细胞外甲状腺激素浓度和代谢的大脑昼夜节律和睡眠相关的变量。进一步的研究将检查甲状腺激素微量注射到睡眠相关的大脑结构对脑电图（EEG）测量睡眠的影响。 因此，这些研究的结果将深入了解以前证明的甲状腺激素在成年哺乳动物大脑中的作用的生理相关性，特别是在睡眠调节方面。该项目将增加研究机会，为众多的本科生和硕士生？边做边学？罗格斯-卡姆登实验室之间的跨学科合作，在这一领域有着良好的记录。

The actions of thyroid hormones in brain were believed to be limited to effects on gene expression during the early developmental period, but new evidence has shown that thyroid hormones can influence the adult brain. The researchers at the Camden campus of Rutgers University have found specific effects of thyroid hormones in adult rat brain on several biochemical mechanisms other than gene expression. These and other data suggest a novel type of signaling function of thyroid hormones in the mature CNS. The key features defining a chemical signal in CNS include (a) a physiologically relevant variation in levels of the substance at the brain site of action and (b) the specific regulation of a cellular response leading to (c) functionally significant alteration(s) in brain activity. Since potential cellular responses have been identified earlier, current studies will relate temporal patterns of extracellular thyroid hormone concentration and metabolism in brain to circadian and sleep-related variables. Further studies will examine the effects of microinjection of thyroid hormones to sleep-related brain structures on electroencephalographic (EEG) measures of sleep. The results from these studies will therefore give insight into the physiological relevance of previously-demonstrated effects of thyroid hormones in adult mammalian brain, particularly with regard to regulation of sleep. The project will increase research opportunities for numerous undergraduates and masters students to ?learn by doing? in an interdisciplinary collaboration between Rutgers-Camden laboratories with strong track records in this area.