The chronobiology of somatosensation

我们的研究小组研究了调节感觉神经元形态(即对机械、温度和伤害性刺激的反应)的神经免疫相互作用。这些神经元的不同亚群表达的离子通道介导了许多这些效应，最近发现，免疫因素的存在直接或间接地改变了这些效应，包括细胞因子/趋化因子、金属蛋白酶和生长因子。在这份新的发现拨款申请中，我们将以我实验室的最新发现为基础，研究时间生物节律如何调节神经免疫通讯，并改变体内的躯体感觉行为和体外感觉神经元的活动。

Our research group investigates neuro-immune interactions that modulate sensory neuron modalities (i.e. responses to mechanical, thermal and nociceptive stimuli). Ion channels expressed by distinct subsets of these neurons mediate many of these effects, and have recently been found to be directly and indirectly altered by the presence of immune factors including cytokines/chemokines, metalloproteases, and growth factors. In this new Discovery Grant submission, we will build on recent discoveries in my laboratory to investigate how chronobiological rhythms can regulate neuro-immune communication and alter somatosensory behaviour in vivo and sensory neuron activity in vitro.