Synaptic Afferent-Target Relations in Gustatory NTS

神经元回路受环境条件影响的延展性是一个至关重要的特性 在发展大脑中，在促进感知和行为的适应性发展中， 学院。这在感觉系统中尤为明显。脑干味觉通路是 潜在的合适的模型系统，以了解竞争的相互作用和活动 依赖性重组是神经元可塑性的两种可能机制， 称为可塑性。了解可塑性的机制是研究 发展战略，避免发展缺陷，促进正常发展 大脑的功能。一项研究计划旨在确定味觉回路是否 有细胞和分子成分，可以让感觉系统进行 在偏离正常环境刺激时发生的变化。第一项研究旨在 获得不同的味觉神经是否会聚在单个神经元上的证据， 使用顺行和逆行追踪解剖结构的组合，共焦 使用多标记物和电子显微镜进行显微镜检查。如何以及何时进入 这种投入趋同的发生将对我们的发展产生重要影响。 理解竞争性相互作用在可塑性中的作用。第二个目标 拟议的项目将研究轴突的精细结构和谷氨酸受体特征 在味觉通路的发育过程中注定要退出。的潜在 所提出的实验结果将提供有关目标选择性的新信息 两个味觉神经，以及强调味觉传入的发展， 研究发育可塑性和终身突触稳定性的模型。

The malleability of neuronal circuits by environmental conditions is a crucial property in developing brain in fostering adaptive development of perceptual and behavioral faculties. This is particularly obvious in sensory systems. Brainstem taste pathway is potentially a suitable model system to understand competitive interactions and activity dependent reorganization, two possible mechanisms of neuronal malleability, also termed plasticity. Understanding the mechanisms of plasticity is a major step in developing strategies to avoid developmental defects, and to foster normal development of the brain function. A research program is designed to determine whether taste circuits have cellular and molecular components that may allow sensory systems to undergo changes during deviations from normal environmental stimuli. The first study aims to obtain evidence for whether distinct gustatory nerves converge upon individual neurons, using a combination of anterograde and retrograde tract-tracing anatomy, confocal microscopy using multiple markers and electron microscopy. How and when in development such input convergences occur will have important outcomes for our understanding of the role of competitive interactions in plasticity. The second aim of the proposed project will examine fine structure and glutamate receptor signature of axons that are destined to withdraw during development of taste pathways. The potential findings of the proposed experiments shall provide novel information on target selectivity of two gustatory nerves, as well as underlining gustatory afferent development as a model to study developmental plasticity and lifelong synaptic stability.