GUSTATORY AFFERENT ORGANIZATION IN THE SOLITARY NUCLEUS

有几个空间上隔离的和功能上截然不同的 口腔中味蕾的亚群。大多数关于中央的研究 味觉生理学已经研究了只有一种反应 其中，舌头前部的味蕾所占比例不到 占所有味蕾的15%。对化疗药物敏感性的了解要少得多 接受传入信息的中枢神经元的反应谱 来自其他味觉受体亚群，它们之间的相互作用，或 关于中枢通路的组织，因为它与这些 不同的味蕾群。中所述工作的长期目标 这项建议是为了全面描述中央银行 味觉信息的处理，包括所有的口感 巴兹。这些实验将使用神经生理学和 神经解剖学技术在第一和第二阶段实现这一目标 脑干中的二级味觉中继核，也就是 孤束核(NST)和臂旁核(PBN)。首先，这些 实验将确定NST的化疗敏感性反应曲线 对一组被忽视的味蕾亚群做出反应的神经元， 位于口腔后部的那些。其次，他们将澄清 NST神经元整合空间收敛味觉的原理 信息。第三，他们将描述现场组织的接受度 而在下一个突触中继器--PBN时，表征也会发生变化。最后， 这些实验将探索传入和刺激之间的关系。 脑干味觉神经元的传出特性，以提供 更完整的背景，以了解其功能。味觉 系统在调节饮食行为方面起着重要作用；在 特别是，在决定吃什么和吃多少时，它是很重要的。 食物选择对几个健康问题有影响，包括肥胖， 高血压和癌症。了解的初始处理 味觉信号为理解 影响复杂行为行为的更高级别的处理。

There are several spatially segregated and functionally distinct subpopulations of taste buds in the mouth. Most studies of central gustatory physiology have investigated responses arising from just one of them, the taste buds on the anterior tongue, which account for less than 15 % of all taste buds. Much less is known about the chemosensitive response profiles of central neurons that receive afferent information from other taste receptor subpopulations, interactions between them, or about the organization of central pathways as it relates to these distinct taste bud groups. The long-term goal of the work described in this proposal is to provide a comprehensive description of the central processing of gustatory information, which encompasses all oral taste buds. These experiments will use both neurophysiological and neuroanatomical techniques to accomplish this goal in the first- and second-order gustatory relay nuclei in the brainstem, the nucleus of the solitary tract (NST) and the parabrachial nuclei (PBN). First, these experiments will define the chemosensitive response profiles of NST neurons that respond to a neglected set of taste bud subpopulations, those in the posterior oral cavity. Second, they will elucidate principles of how NST neurons integrate spatially-convergent gustatory information. Third, they will describe how receptive field organization and representation change at the next synaptic relay, the PBN. Finally, these experiments will explore relationships between the afferent and efferent characteristics of brainstem gustatory neurons, to provide a more complete context for understanding their function. The gustatory system plays an important role in modulating eating behavior; in particular it is important in determining what and how much is eaten. Food choice has an impact on several health problems, including obesity, hypertension and cancer. Understanding the initial processing of gustatory signals provides a necessary basis for understanding the higher-level processing that influences complex behavioral acts.