DOPAMINE ACTIONS ON HIPPOCAMPO-PREFRONTAL TRANSMISSION

海马结构和前额叶皮层（PFC）都是 证明参与工作记忆过程， 前额叶-前额叶通路在脑内的运动中起着重要的作用。 在精神分裂症病理学中的发展作用多巴胺（DA） 来自腹侧被盖区（VTA）的传入也有牵连 海马体和前额叶皮层的学习和记忆功能， 已经提出了与上行DA投射功能障碍有关 精神分裂症的神经病理学然而，目前尚不清楚， DA传入能够调节大脑前额叶-海马的传递。的 拟议的研究将利用大鼠体内神经生理学方法 检查本地应用或VTA发布的DA的能力 刺激.在细胞体水平和细胞内作用于这一通路， 终端领域。在研究1中，DA的行动将记录在 海马神经元被鉴定为投射到PFC。在研究2中， DA对PFC神经元对海马神经元电刺激反应的调节作用 将检查刺激。在研究3中，DA的行为能力 将通过记录海马神经元突触前神经元对海马神经元末梢的影响来检查 海马传入PFC的终末兴奋性。 在这些研究中确定的DA作用机制将改善 理解它在认知和情感功能中的作用， 以及其对病理生理学和治疗的潜在贡献 精神和神经系统疾病

The hippocampal formation and prefrontal cortex (PFC) have both been demonstrated to participate in working memory processes, and the hippocampo-prefrontal pathway has been suggested to play an important developmental role in the pathology of schizophrenia. Dopamine (DA) afferents from the ventral tegmental area (VTA) have also been implicated in the learning and memory functions of the hippocampus and the PFC, and dysfunction of ascending DA projections has been suggested to be involved in the neuropathology of schizophrenia. It is not known, however, whether DA afferents are able to modulate hippocampo-prefrontal transmission. The proposed research will utilize in vivo neurophysiological methods in rats to examine the ability of DA, applied locally or released by VTA stimulation. to act on this pathway both at the cell body level and in the terminal field. In Study 1, the actions of DA will be recorded on hippocampal neurons identified as projecting to the PFC. In Study 2, the ability of DA to modulate the response of PFC neurons to hippocampal stimulation will be examined. In Study 3, the ability of DA to act presynaptically on hippocampal terminals will be examined by recording the terminal excitability of hippocampal afferents to the PFC. The mechanisms of DA action that are identified in these studies will improve the understanding of its role in cognitive and affective functions, as well as its potential contribution to the pathophysiology and treatment of psychiatric and neurological disorders.