Dendritic modification of inputs to entorhinal cortex

描述(申请人提供)：内嗅皮层(EC)是形成和回忆记忆的关键大脑结构：这一大脑区域是阿尔茨海默病的初始区域，也是最严重的破坏区域，其病理与记忆缺陷密切相关。杏仁核是一个涉及情绪的区域，在情绪唤醒的条件下有助于记忆的形成。杏仁核向内嗅觉皮质发送解剖投射，并在功能上与内嗅觉皮质相互作用。然而，从杏仁核到内嗅皮层的输入还没有被深入研究。位于神经元树突中的离子通道有效地调节神经元处理突触输入的能力。多巴胺是EC中发现的一种神经递质，它的修饰会导致杏仁核和内嗅觉皮质之间的相互作用发生变化。DA激活的信号级联的一个潜在靶点是树突状离子通道。因此，拟议的研究将考察内嗅皮层神经元处理来自杏仁核的输入的方式，树突状离子通道在输入修饰中的作用，以及多巴胺如何调节树突状离子通道，从而改变EC神经元处理输入的能力。这些研究可以提供关于情绪改变记忆的细胞方式的有价值的数据，并提供对多巴胺系统(参与精神障碍的系统)如何调节记忆的洞察。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The entorhinal cortex (EC) is a key brain structure in the formation and recall of memories: This region of the brain is the initial, and most heavily disrupted area in Alzheimer's disease, and its pathologies correlate well to memory deficits. The amygdala, a region involved in emotion, contributes to memory formation under conditions of emotional arousal. The amygdala sends anatomical projections to the entorhinal cortex, and functionally interacts with the entorhinal cortex. However, inputs from the amygdala to the entorhinal cortex have not been examined in depth. Ion channels located in neuronal dendrites potently regulate the ability of neurons to process synaptic inputs. Modifications of dopamine, a neurotransmitter found in the EC result in changes in the interactions between the amygdala and the entorhinal cortex. One potential target of DA-activated signaling cascades is dendritic ion channels. Thus, the proposed studies will examine the means by which entorhinal cortical neuron to process inputs from the amygdala, the role of dendritic ion channels in modification of inputs, and how dopamine modulates dendritic ion channels, thereby altering the ability of EC neurons to process inputs. These studies can yield valuable data regarding the cellular means by which emotion can modify memory, and provide insight into how the dopamine system, a system involved-in psychiatric disorders, modulates memory.