Dendritic modification of inputs to entorhinal cortex

描述（由申请人提供）：内嗅皮层（EC）是记忆形成和回忆的关键大脑结构：大脑的这一区域是阿尔茨海默病的初始和最严重的破坏区域，其病理与记忆缺陷密切相关。杏仁核是一个与情绪有关的区域，在情绪唤起的情况下，它有助于记忆的形成。杏仁核向内嗅皮层发送解剖投影，并在功能上与内嗅皮层相互作用。然而，从杏仁核到内嗅皮层的输入尚未被深入研究。位于神经元树突的离子通道有效地调节神经元处理突触输入的能力。在EC中发现的一种神经递质多巴胺的改变会导致杏仁核和内嗅皮层之间相互作用的改变。da激活的信号级联反应的一个潜在目标是树突离子通道。因此，本研究将探讨内嗅皮层神经元处理杏仁核输入的方式，树突离子通道在输入修改中的作用，以及多巴胺如何调节树突离子通道，从而改变EC神经元处理输入的能力。这些研究可以提供有关情绪可以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（一个涉及精神疾病的系统）如何调节记忆的深入了解。

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.