Physiological identification and characterization of PVN neuronal populations

项目摘要（项目2 Co-PI：Buzsaki、Froemke、Lin、Tsien） 我们的计划的首要目标是了解催产素信号如何参与大脑系统，以支持 社会空间行为一个中心问题是下丘脑神经元释放的催产素如何影响神经元 相反，这些协调神经元是如何嵌入和控制的， 其他神经元回路为了实现这一目标，项目2的目的是量化催产素的放电模式， 生理条件下PVN神经元的释放及其与状态依赖性放电模式的关系 尤其是海马体。这些实验是由我们的总体假设指导的， 大脑结构涉及母性行为的各个方面，包括幼崽的检索， 防御/攻击机制，形成一个相互作用的系统，包括PVN和VMH核的 下丘脑 项目2的第一个任务是想出方法来获得催产素的生理特征- 产生PVN神经元。这将通过收集大量的波形，发射率动态， 神经元相互作用和各种PVN神经元的其他标准， 局部光源光遗传学方法。在这一目标下获得的标准将在以后的 实验来识别催产素神经元。下一个目标是建立大规模和高弹性的长期 记录来自相同神经元的重复社会互动，包括暴力攻击。我们 认识到催产素-PVN神经元也释放快速神经递质。因此，一个重要的目标将是 他们的放电模式不仅表现在社会互动上（项目1和4）， 以及与群体模式的关系，例如海马体。这些生理测量将是 补充纤维光度法测量PVN催产素神经元的整体Ca 2+信号， 行为状态相反，我们将扩展相关方法与光遗传学诱导的合成 生理模式（“波纹”）在海马检查是否以及如何PVN和VMH神经元可以 受直接或间接（腹主动脉-外侧隔）通路的影响。

Project Summary (Project 2 Co-PIs: Buzsaki, Froemke, Lin, Tsien) The overarching goal of our proposal is to understand how oxytocin signaling engages brain systems to support socio-spatial behavior. A central question is how oxytocin release from hypothalamic neurons affects neuronal activity in target structures and conversely, how these coordinating neurons are embedded and controlled by other neuronal circuits. Toward this goal, the aims of Project 2 is to quantify the firing patterns of oxytocin- releasing PVN neurons under physiological conditions and their relationship with state-dependent firing patterns in partner structures, particularly the hippocampus. These experiments are guided by our overall hypothesis that brain structures involved in various aspects of a maternal behavior, including pup retrieval and defensive/aggressive mechanisms, form an interactive system that includes the PVN and VMH nuclei of the hypothalamus. The first task of Project 2 is it to would out methods to obtain physiological signatures of oxytocin- producing PVN neurons. This will be accomplished by collecting large number of waveform, firing rate dynamics, neuronal interaction and other criteria of the various PVN neurons and verify the classification with a novel, localized light-source optogenetic method. The criteria obtain under this aim will be used in subsequent experiments to identify oxytocin neurons. The next goal is to establish large-scale and highly resilient long-term recordings from the same sets of neurons for repeated social interactions, including violent attacks. We recognize that oxytocin-PVN neurons also release fast neurotransmitters. Therefore, an important goal will be to characterized their firing patterns not only social interactions (Projects 1 and 4) but also in various brain states and in relationship to population patterns, such as the hippocampus. These physiological measurements will be complemented by fiber photometry to measure the overall Ca2+ signal of PVN oxytocin neurons during different behavioral states. Conversely, we will extend the correlational methods with optogenetic induction of synthetic physiological patterns (`ripples') in the hippocampus to examine whether and how PVN and VMH neurons can be influenced by direct or indirect (hippocampus-lateral septum) pathways.