Estrogen Induced Neuroplasticity in the Lordosis Pathway

雌激素诱导脊柱前凸通路的神经可塑性

• 批准号: 6642801
• 负责人: Lori Marie Flanagan-Cato
• 金额: $ 23.48万
• 依托单位: UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2001
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2001-09-01 至 2005-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/6642801
• 关键词: confocal scanning microscopy; dendrites; estrogens; gender difference; hormone regulation /control mechanism; hypothalamus; immunocytochemistry; laboratory rat; neural plasticity; neuroendocrine system; neuronal transport; sex behavior; suid alphaherpesvirus 1

DESCRIPTION (applicant's abstract): The ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus (VMH) is a sexually dimorphic region that controls sexual behavior in female rats, typified by the lordosis reflex. Females are sexually receptive only when estrogen is present, and estrogen receptors in the ventrolateral subdivision of the VMH (vlVMH) mediate the effects of estrogen on sexual behavior. Male rats, in contrast, do not exhibit the lordosis response, even when castrated and treated with estrogen. The general goal of this proposal is to investigate the local circuitry in the vlVMH that couples estrogen action with the pathways that execute the lordosis reflex. The specific aims are: 1) To test the hypothesis that the lordosis-relevant efferents are segregated from, and are innervated by, the estrogen receptor-containing neurons; 2) To test the hypothesis that estrogen induces dendritic spines in lordosis-relevant efferent neurons, but not estrogen receptor-containing neurons, in the vlVMH; and 3) To test the hypothesis that sex differences in specific components of the VMH local circuitry mediate the sex-dependent effect of estrogen on spine density in the VMH. The methods will include quantification and localization of neurons visualized by transneuronal tracing, conventional anterograde and retrograde tracing, confocal microscopic analysis of dendritic spine density on Lucifer yellow-filled cells, and the combination of these techniques with immunocytochemistry. The results of these studies may illuminate the effects of estrogen on neural function.

描述（申请人的摘要）：腹内侧核 下丘脑 (VMH) 是控制性行为的性二态性区域 在雌性大鼠中，以脊柱前凸反射为代表。女性具有性接受能力 仅当雌激素存在且雌激素受体位于腹外侧时 VMH (vlVMH) 的细分介导雌激素对性的影响 行为。相反，雄性大鼠没有表现出脊柱前凸反应，即使 当阉割并用雌激素治疗时。该提案的总体目标是 研究 vLVMH 中耦合雌激素作用的局部电路 与执行脊柱前凸反射的通路。具体目标是：1） 检验与脊柱前凸相关的传出神经是分离的假设 来自含有雌激素受体的神经元，并受其支配； 2) 至 检验雌激素诱导脊柱前凸相关的树突棘的假设 vLVMH 中的传出神经元，但不包括含有雌激素受体的神经元； 3）检验特定成分中性别差异的假设 VMH 局部电路介导雌激素对脊柱的性别依赖性作用 VMH 中的密度。这些方法将包括量化和本地化 通过跨神经元追踪、传统顺行和 逆行追踪，树突棘密度的共焦显微镜分析 路西法黄色填充细胞，以及这些技术与 免疫细胞化学。这些研究的结果可能会阐明以下因素的影响： 雌激素对神经功能的影响。