Unusual neuromodulatory control of spinal cord function

酪胺、章鱼胺和色胺属于被称为微量胺(TA)的内源胺家族，它们在结构和代谢上与经典的神经递质5-羟色胺、多巴胺和去甲肾上腺素有相似之处。虽然Tas的受体最近被发现，但它们的生理相关性仍然难以捉摸。这个项目试图揭示这些物质通过作用于负责运动的脊髓回路来控制腿部运动。TA直接应用于脊髓，以表征其对神经回路功能的调节。此外，肢体肌肉的电子记录与肢体运动的视频分析相结合，可以定量研究基于运动周期的活动模式，详细说明TA对运动性能的影响。所取得的进展将促进研究，从而影响我们对脊髓是如何“设计”控制运动的理解。总体而言，该项目建立了开创性的科学和方法，包括对佐治亚理工学院人数不足的工程学学生进行跨学科指导，并在埃默里大学进行生物科学培训，并通过参加会议扩大他们的活动。

Tyramine, octopamine, and tryptamine belong to a family of endogenous amines called trace amines (TAs) that have structural and metabolic similarities to the 'classical' neurotransmitters serotonin, dopamine, and nor-epinephrine. While receptors for TAs were recently identified, their physiological relevance remains elusive. This project seeks to reveal that these substances control leg movements by acting on the spinal cord circuits responsible for locomotion. TAs are applied directly to the spinal cord to characterize their modulation of neural circuit function. In addition, electrical recordings from limb muscles are coupled with video-based analyses of limb movements to allow quantitative study of locomotor cycle-based activity patterns, detailing the effects of TAs on motor performance. The advances made will spur investigations that impact our understanding of how the spinal cord is 'engineered' to control locomotion. Overall, this project establishes ground-breaking science and methodology that incorporates cross-disciplinary mentoring of underrepresented engineering students from the Georgia Institute of Technology with training in the biological sciences at Emory, and a broadening of their activities through participation in conferences.