STEROID HORMONES, NEUROENDOCRINE FUNCTION AND BEHAVIOR

将进行的研究项目涉及由 黄体酮和传入触觉的输入来自交配 影响雌性大鼠大脑中类固醇激素敏感神经元， 从而导致发情行为的变化。发情行为的调控 以雌性大鼠为模型，因为卵巢类固醇激素， 雌二醇和黄体酮有强大的，可预测的和研究得很好的 雌二醇增加对黄体酮的行为反应，以及 黄体酮促进发情行为的表达，然后它 使动物对进一步的反应失去敏感度。交配的影响 对孕激素敏感神经元的刺激将被研究，因为 一类外部环境刺激对类固醇有很强的影响 激素依赖的生理和行为事件。各种各样的 从行为学和神经解剖学到细胞学的方法将用于 阐明卵巢类固醇激素调节 大脑，主要使用这种荷尔蒙调节的行为作为模型。一个 将使用包括行为观察在内的各种技术来 确定特定荷尔蒙、药物和 在这个系统上的行为操纵，免疫细胞化学 识别含有类固醇激素受体和/或 对特定的激素、药物或行为治疗有反应，就地 杂交以检测类固醇激素受体的mRNA水平， 和反义寡核苷酸选择性地抑制合成 孕激素受体和即刻早期基因的蛋白质产物。

The research projects to be conducted concern the cellular processes by which progesterone and afferent tactile input derived from mating influence steroid hormone-sensitive neurons in the brains of female rats, resulting in changes in estrous behaviors. Regulation of estrous behavior in female rats is used as a model, because the ovarian steroid hormones, estradiol and progesterone have robust, predictable and well-studied interactions; estradiol increases behavioral response to progesterone, and progesterone facilitates the expression of estrous behaviors, and it then desensitizes the animal to further response. The effects of mating stimulation on progesterone-sensitive neurons will be studied, as this class of external environmental stimulation has robust effects on steroid hormone-dependent physiological and behavioral events. A variety of approaches from behavioral and neuroanatomical to cellular will be used to clarify the processes by which ovarian steroid hormones regulate the brain, primarily using this hormonally-regulated behavior as a model. A variety of techniques will be used including behavioral observation to determine the effects of particular hormonal, pharmacological and behavioral manipulations on this system, immunocytochemistry for identifying neurons containing steroid hormone receptors and/or that are responsive to particular hormonal, drug or behavioral treatments, in situ hybridization to examine mRNA levels for the steroid hormone receptors, and antisense oligonucleotides to inhibit selectively synthesis of progestin receptors and protein products of immediate early genes.