RUI: Behavioral Role of Descending Projections to the Gustatory Brainstem

对味觉刺激的行为反应包括那些导致摄入的反应(嘴巴运动、舌头伸出等)。和拒绝(张嘴等)。这些行为所需的神经回路包含在脑干中。有几个前脑区域与脑干味觉中心相连，但这些联系的功能作用尚未确定。因此，本研究的具体目标是确定从前脑结构到脑干味觉中枢的下行投射的行为作用。一般的实验方法将是通过植入电极激活清醒大鼠的下行投射，并观察与味觉相关的行为的变化(特别是对咸味和苦味的刺激)。为了了解行为效应的机制，将使用解剖学和分子技术相结合的方法来确定味觉脑干中神经元的位置、数量和类型的变化，这些神经元由前脑刺激激活。这项研究的结果有望提高我们对味觉相关行为的神经机制的理解，并为未来研究这些通路在更复杂的行为中所起的作用提供基础。拟议活动的更广泛影响包括让不同的本科生群体参与科学研究，加强本科生为生物科学研究生工作做准备，以及公布实验结果以传播实验结果。除了这些影响之外，拟议的活动还将增加斯特森大学科学家和学生之间的互动，加强课堂和实验室的学习、教学和培训，并促进与当地初中和高中教师及其学生的接触。

Behavioral responses to taste stimuli include those leading to ingestion (mouth movements, tongue protrusion, etc.) and rejection (gapes, etc.). The neural circuitry required for these behaviors is contained within the brainstem. Several forebrain regions are connected to brainstem taste centers, but the functional roles of these connections have not been determined. Therefore, the specific goal of this study is to determine the behavioral roles of the descending projections from forebrain structures to gustatory centers in the brainstem. The general experimental approach will be to activate the descending projections with implanted electrodes in conscious rats and to observe changes in taste-related behaviors (particularly to salty and bitter stimuli). To understand the mechanisms of the behavioral effects, changes in the location, number and type of neurons in the gustatory brainstem, activated by forebrain stimulation, will be determined using a combination of anatomical and molecular techniques. It is expected that the results of this study will improve our understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying taste-related behaviors and provide a foundation for future research on the role of these pathways in more complex behaviors. The broader impacts of the proposed activities include the involvement of a diverse undergraduate student population in scientific research, enhanced undergraduate student preparation for graduate work in the Biological Sciences, and published findings to disseminate the results of the experiments. Beyond those impacts, the proposed activities will increase interaction among scientists and students at Stetson University, enhance learning, teaching and training in classrooms and laboratories, and promote outreach to local middle- and high-school teachers and their students.