INTERROGATING THE GENOME TO UNCOVER HUMAN SPECIALIZATIONS OF BRAIN & COGNITION

这个子项目是利用资源的许多研究子项目之一。 由NIH/NCRR资助的中心拨款提供。对子项目的主要支持 子项目的首席调查员可能是由其他来源提供的， 包括美国国立卫生研究院的其他来源。为子项目列出的总成本可能 表示该子项目使用的中心基础设施的估计数量， 不是由NCRR赠款提供给次级项目或次级项目工作人员的直接资金。 人类大脑具有独特的功能能力，但人类大脑在结构和生化方面与其他灵长类动物的不同之处鲜为人知。我们正在通过识别不同物种(人类、黑猩猩和猕猴)、不同大脑区域(多个皮质和皮质下部位)以及不同半球之间的基因和蛋白质表达差异来解决这些问题。 在2010年，我们致力于获取高尔基体切片，基于观察到的基因表达差异，比较人类、黑猩猩和猕猴额叶皮质的突触棘数和形态。我们还获得了共聚焦显微照片，比较了突触蛋白在人类和非人类灵长类动物的额叶皮质中差异表达的突触前和突触后元素的标记。

This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. Primary support for the subproject and the subproject's principal investigator may have been provided by other sources, including other NIH sources. The Total Cost listed for the subproject likely represents the estimated amount of Center infrastructure utilized by the subproject, not direct funding provided by the NCRR grant to the subproject or subproject staff. Human brains have unique functional capacities, but how the human brain differs structurally and biochemically from that of other primates is poorly understood. We are pursuing these questions by identifying differences in gene and protein expression between species (humans, chimpanzees, and macaque monkeys), between brain regions (multiple cortical and subcortical sites), and between hemispheres. During 2010, we have worked on obtaining Golgi sections for comparing synaptic spine numbers and morphology in frontal cortex of humans, chimpanzees, and macaques, based on observed differences in gene expression. We have also obtained confocal photomicrographs comparing labeling of pre- and postsynaptic elements for synaptic proteins that are differentially expressed in the frontal cortex of humans and nonhuman primates.