Collaborative Research: Novel Corticosteroid Actions on Neurotransmitter Function

当生物体暴露于各种压力源时，神经内分泌级联会导致压力激素（皮质类固醇）释放到血液中。皮质类固醇会引起生理和大脑功能的变化，这对处理紧急情况至关重要，但皮质类固醇的持续升高会产生众所周知的压力的有害影响。所有脊椎动物都需要快速而有力的应激反应，以及有效的终止这种反应的手段。终止这种反应的大脑机制仍然知之甚少。这些研究探讨了应激激素提供负反馈以终止应激反应的新机制。合作实验将在亚利桑那州立大学、科罗拉多大学和南达科他大学进行，以测试在压力反应期间，皮质类固醇会阻止大脑特定区域神经递质血清素的清除，从而导致负面反馈和相关的行为变化。最先进的神经化学、脑成像和行为研究将确定皮质类固醇是否会通过一种新描述的转运体阻断5 -羟色胺在大脑中的运输，从而增强5 -羟色胺信号传导并抑制应激反应。这些研究也将有助于培养学生（研究生，本科生和高中）和博士后研究人员在前沿神经科学研究。主要研究者提供的研究训练对于鼓励青年学生欣赏科学推理和追求科学事业具有重要意义。总的来说，这些学院资助了100多个来自不同背景的学生的本科研究项目，每个学院也长期致力于研究生教育和研究。通过这些研究，每个PI将继续作出明确努力，向经济上处于不利地位或代表性不足的群体伸出援助之手。

When an organism is exposed to a wide range of stressors, a neuroendocrine cascade leads to the release of stress hormones (corticosteroids) into the bloodstream. The corticosteroids produce changes in physiology and brain function that are crucial for dealing with emergencies, but persistent elevation of corticosteroids produce the well known deleterious effects of stress. All vertebrates need a rapid and robust stress response as well as an effective means of terminating this response. The brain mechanisms that terminate this response remain poorly understood. These studies investigate a novel mechanism through which stress hormones could provide negative feedback to terminate the stress response. Collaborative experiments will be conducted at Arizona State University, University of Colorado and University of South Dakota to test the hypothesis that corticosteroids block clearance of the neurotransmitter serotonin in specific brain regions during a stress response leading to negative feedback and associated changes in behavior. State-of-the-art neurochemical, brain imaging and behavioral studies will determine whether corticosteroids block serotonin transport via a newly described transporter in brain, leading to enhanced serotonin signaling and suppression of the stress response. These studies will also serve to train students (graduate, undergraduate, and high school) and post-doctoral researchers in cutting-edge neuroscience research. The research training provided by the principle investigators (PIs) is important for encouraging young students to appreciate scientific reasoning and pursue careers in science. Collectively, the PIs have sponsored over 100 undergraduate research projects from students with diverse backgrounds, and each of the PIs also has a long track record of dedication to graduate student education and research. With these studies, each PI will continue to make explicit efforts to reach out to economically disadvantaged or underrepresented groups.