Physiological and molecular analysis of motor-area function.

为了了解额叶皮质运动区的功能组织，我们计划并执行了一项综合研究项目。以灵长类动物为实验动物，从生理学和分子学的角度进行了一系列的实验。东北大学的研究人员访问了位于波士顿的麻省理工学院，麻省理工学院的教授访问了东北大学，推进了各自项目的研究工作的共同发展，并进行了合作。通过深入交流意见和开展协作，取得了以下成果。皮质-基底神经节环的功能结构是一个新的方面，虽然基底神经节环的输出分为直接和间接两部分，但它们与皮质运动区的关系及其功能意义尚不清楚。在本研究中，我们首先用生理学技术绘制了初级运动皮层，然后应用于 ...更多信息 艾德皮质内微刺激（ICMS）2小时。此后立即灌注脑，切片，并进行免疫组织化学处理以鉴定IEGs（c-fos和jun-B）。同时，对细胞进行脑啡肽免疫染色。IEG阳性细胞大多呈脑啡肽阳性，表明从初级运动皮质投射的皮质-纹状体细胞大多属于间接途径。我们随后发现，大多数IEG阳性细胞刺激后的辅助运动区是不是脑啡肽阳性，表明SMA的投射到纹状体主要属于直接途径。这些发现为皮质-基底神经节通路在运动控制中的功能作用提供了新的见解。在另一个项目中，我们分析了灵长类动物皮层运动区NMDA谷氨酸受体亚单位的分布。为此，我们首先标记生理识别后的皮质区。随后，应用原位杂交技术检测了NMDA受体ε 1、ε 2和Xi亚基的分布，发现在前额叶、运动前区、初级运动区和躯体感觉区的不同皮层层，其分布有很大差异。少

To understand functional organization of the motor areas in the frontal cortex, we planned and performed an integrative research project. Using primates as experimental animals, we conducted a series of experiments with a combined physiological and molecular approach.Researchers in Tohoku University visited MIT in Boston, and professors at MIT visited Tohoku University to advance mutual development of research works in each project, and joint works have done. As a result of intensive exchanges of ideas and collaborative works, the following results have been obtained. A novel aspect of functional organization of cortico-basal ganglia loops has been found. Although it has been established that the output from the basal ganglia is divided into two parts, direct and indirect pathway, neither their relationships with cortical motor areas nor their functional significance were known. ln the present study, we first mapped the primary motor cortex with physiological techniques, and then appli … More ed intracortical microstimulation (ICMS) for a period of 2 hrs. Immediately thereafter, brains were perfused, sectioned, and processed for immunohistochemistry to identify IEGs (c-fos and jun-B). At the same time, cells were immuno-stained for Enkephalin. IEG positive cells were found to be largely positive for Enkephalin, indicating that the cortico-striatal cells projecting from the primary motor cortex mostly belong to the indirect pathway. We subsequently found that a majority of IEG positive cells following stimulation of the supplementary motor area are not Enkephalin positive, indicating that the SMA projection to the striatum mainly belong to the direct pathway. These findings provide a new insight about functional roles of the cortico-basal ganglia pathway in motor control. In a separate project, we analyzed the distbution of subunits of NMDA glutamate receptors in cortical motor areas of primates. For this purpose, we first marked cortical areas after physiological identification. Subsequently, in situ hybridization method was applied to find subunits epsilon1, epsilon2, and xi of NMDA receptors.The subunit distribution differed greatly in different cortical layrs in the prefrontal, premotor, primary motor, and somatosensory cortex. Less