IDENTIFICATION OF BRAIN NEURONS INVOLVED IN THE CARDIOVASCULAR RESPONSE TO FEAR AND FLIGHT

身体的循环系统与呼吸系统协同作用，将含氧血液分配到大脑和身体的其他器官和组织。血压和心率的控制主要是通过中枢神经系统对效应器官和组织如心脏和血管的作用来实现的。这种控制是通过体内神经的作用来实现的，这些神经影响心脏收缩的速率和力量以及限制血液流向组织的血管的直径。这些神经反过来又受到位于脑干中的脑细胞或神经元的控制。控制血压的神经元根据它们从胸腔中主要血管中的压力传感器接收到的信息起作用，可以改变它们的活动，从而使血压保持在正常范围内。我们的实验室一直在通过记录这些控制血压的神经元的微小放电和研究能够影响它们的其他大脑区域来检查它们的特性。在这项研究中，我们将使用新开发的程序，这将使我们能够识别这些神经元在大脑中的精确位置，研究它们使用哪些神经递质（神经元释放的用于与其他神经元通信的化学物质），以及识别它们连接和影响的其他大脑区域。这项工作的主要意义将是识别将心血管系统状态信息传递到大脑其他区域的新大脑回路。我们对心血管疾病（如高血压和心力衰竭）的理解和新疗法的开发严重依赖于我们对神经系统的理解。

The circulatory system of the body acts in concert with the respiratory system to distribute oxygenated blood to the brain and other organs and tissues of the body. Control of blood pressure and heart rate is achieved largely through the actions of the central nervous system on effector organs and tissues such as the heart and blood vessels. This control is exerted through the actions of nerves in the body which affect the rate and force of contraction of the heart and the diameter of blood vessels which restrict the flow of blood to the tissues. These nerves, in turn, are under the control of brain cells or neurons which are located in the brainstem. Blood pressure-controlling neurons, acting upon information they receive from pressure sensors in the major blood vessels in the chest cavity, can alter their activity so that blood pressure is maintained within normal limits. Our laboratory has been examining the properties of these blood pressure-controlling neurons by recording their minute electrical discharges and by studying other brain regions which are able to influence them. In this study, we will use newly-developed procedures which will allow us to identify the precise locations of these neurons in the brain, to study which neurotransmitters (chemicals released by neurons which are used to communicate with other neurons) they use, as well as to identify other regions of the brain they connect with and influence. The major significance of this work will be that new brain circuits which transmit information about the status of the cardiovascular system to other areas of the brain will be identified. Our understanding of, and the development of new treatments for, cardiovascular diseases such as high blood pressure and heart failure are critically dependent on advancing our understanding of the nervous system.