MULTISYNAPTIC STUDY OF GABA AND ESTROGEN

脊柱前凸姿势是雌性大鼠在交配行为期间对雄性大鼠的侧腹刺激做出反应时表现出的性别特异性的、依赖性的反射。 由于脊柱前凸依赖于激素的提示，它已被广泛用作研究内分泌控制行为机制的机会。 尽管许多研究都集中在将激素信号转换为产生行为的神经冲动的神经回路上，但技术限制阻止了对发生在通路各个节点的信息处理的详细分析。 通过应用transneuronal示踪剂，伪狂犬病病毒，我打算确定的神经元群体，特别是在导水管周围灰质（PAG），这是相关的躯体控制脊柱前凸。 具体而言，本提案中描述的研究将解决有关该网络中雌激素和GABA相互作用的确切位点的问题。

The lordosis posture is a sex-specific, hormone-dependant reflex displayed by the female rat in response to flank stimulation by the male rat during copulatory behavior. Because of its dependence on hormonal cues, lordosis has been widely used as an opportunity to study the mechanism of endocrine control of behavior. Although numerous studies have focused on the neural circuitry that transduces hormonal cues to the neural impulses that produce the behavior, technical limitations have prevented a detailed analysis of the information processing that occurs at individual nodes of the pathway. By applying the transneuronal tracer, pseudorabies virus, I intend to identify populations of neurons, particularly in the periaqueductal gray (PAG), which are relevant to the somatic control of lordosis. Specifically, the studies described in this proposal will address questions regarding the exact site(s) of estrogen and GABA interactions within this network.