Human Origins and Comparative Neurochemistry

神经化学物质，如多巴胺和血清素，在行为和认知功能的调节中很重要。人类大脑中与动机和语言有关的区域具有独特的神经化学物质。在这个项目中，将分析人类和非人类灵长类动物死后大脑的纹状体和杏仁核的神经化学，以测试关于亲社会行为进化的假设，包括语言。这项研究将包括本科生和研究生的培训和指导，以及公共科学推广活动。此外，由于正在研究的神经化学物质涉及各种人类特有的神经病理学，包括自闭症和帕金森病，因此研究结果有可能告知并推进我们对疾病病因和治疗的理解。大脑内部的微小变化可能对认知和行为发展产生重大影响。因此，对人类和非人类灵长类动物大脑的微观解剖分析有助于我们对人类大脑进化的理解。神经化学变化会对社会行为产生重大影响，可能是人类谱系出现的关键。该项目结合了先进的实验室和显微镜技术来检查与社会和生活史变量相关的神经化学。人类在纹状体中有一种独特的神经化学特征，纹状体是大脑皮层下的一个区域，它调节涉及社会奖励的行为，是语言和个性风格的关键组成部分。腹侧纹状体与杏仁核密切相连，杏仁核通过调节厌恶刺激来控制攻击水平。体视学方法将用于定量分析纹状体和杏仁核的神经化学可视化使用免疫组织化学技术。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Neurochemicals, like dopamine and serotonin, are important in the regulation of behaviors and cognitive functions. Humans have unique neurochemistry within areas of the brain involved in motivation and language. In this project, the neurochemistry of the striatum and amygdala in human and nonhuman primate postmortem brains will be analyzed to test hypotheses about the evolution of pro-social behaviors, including language. This research will include undergraduate and graduate student training and mentoring, as well as public science outreach activities. Also, because the neurochemicals under investigation are involved in various human-specific neuropathologies, including autism and Parkinson's disease, the results have the potential to inform and advance our understanding of disease etiology and treatment. Microscopic alterations within the brain can have major implications for cognitive and behavioral development. Accordingly, microanatomical analyses of human and nonhuman primate brains can contribute to our understanding of human brain evolution. Neurochemical changes can have a major impact on social behavior and may have been pivotal for the emergence of the human lineage. This project incorporates advanced laboratory and microscopy techniques to examine the neurochemistry associated with social and life history variables. Humans have a unique neurochemical profile within the striatum, a subcortical region of the brain that regulates behaviors involved in social reward and is a critical component of both language and personality styles. The ventral striatum is intimately connected with the amygdala, which governs aggression levels by modulating aversive stimuli. Stereologic methods will be employed for quantitative analyses of striatal and amygdala neurochemistry visualized using immunohistochemical techniques.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.