SENSORY INPUT ONTO THE SEROTONERGIC NEURONS IN THE LEECH

描述 在许多无脊椎动物和脊椎动物物种中，血清素起着相对 保守的神经调节作用，影响运动输出和概率 表现出不同的行为。 在人类中，血清素 与抑郁症有关。 然而，没有明确的概念， 它的行为效应，也不是什么是自然输入到 系统 对自然途径的全面描述， 肾上腺素能系统被激活， 行动上 在水蛭中，维生素E能系统由几种类型的 神经元易于进行电生理学研究。 主要来源 在这个系统中，Retzius（Rz）神经元中的5-羟色胺， 来自压力机械感觉（P）神经元的兴奋性输入。 P-Rz 连接是跨越整个神经索的多突触通路， 允许将来自身体任何部位的机械感觉输入引导到广泛的 能输出。 合作者将调查组织 介导P与Rz相互作用的神经元通路。 他们的目标是 对参与这一通路的神经元进行完整的描述。 这将使他们能够分析感觉输入通道如何产生快速 行为反应，同时激活调节途径 改变生物体的行为反应。

DESCRIPTION In many invertebrate and vertebrate species serotonin plays a relatively conserved neuromodulatory role, affecting motor output and the probability of performing different behaviors. In humans, serotonin has been strongly associated with depression. Yet, there is no clear idea of how it achieves its behavioral effects nor what is the natural input to the serotonergic system. A comprehensive description of the natural pathway through which the serotonergic system is activated could shed light on its physiological action. In the leech the serotonergic system is composed of a few types of neurons readily accessible to electrophysiological study. The major source of serotonin in this system, the Retzius (Rz) neurons, receive strong excitatory input from the pressure mechanosensory (P) neurons. The P-Rz connection is a polysynaptic pathway which spans the entire nerve cord and allows to channel mechanosensory input from any site of the body into a wide serotonergic output. The collaborators will investigate the organization of the neuronal pathway that mediates the P to Rz interaction. Their goal is to give a full description of the neurons that participate in this pathway. This will allow them to analyze how the sensory input channel produces fast behavioral responses, and at the same time activates modulatory pathways that change the behavioral responsiveness of the organism.