The role of brain neurotransmitters in the control of behaviour

大脑神经递质在行为控制中的作用

• 批准号: RGPIN-2015-05465
• 负责人: Beninger, Richard
• 金额: $ 2.4万
• 依托单位: Queen's University
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2017
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2017-01-01 至 2018-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=631440
• 关键词: role; brain; neurotransmitters; control; behaviour

It is widely known that behavior can be modified by rewards (e.g., food, water, safety from danger, sex) but much less is known about the underlying brain mechanisms. Rewards produce incentive learning, i.e., the acquisition, by stimuli that predict reward, of an increased ability to elicit approach and other responses. This form of learning is mediated by the brain neurotransmitter dopamine that is released when reward is received. In the brain of the animal or human that received the reward, released dopamine occupies receptors - fitting into them like a key in a lock - that influence chemical messages inside brain nerve cells, i.e., neurons. These chemical messages are responsible for the growth processes and other chemical changes that underlie incentive learning. Dopamine receptors are of several types, forming two families known as D1- and D2-like receptors. Previous work has identified an important role in incentive learning for the chemical messengers activated by D1-like receptors. More recently, D2-like receptors have been found to influence a different set of chemical messengers but little is known about their possible role in incentive learning. The proposed experiments investigate the possible role of D2-like receptor-linked chemical messengers in incentive learning. Rats will be trained in a task where they normally demonstrate a preference for a place where they have previously received reward. My student trainees and I will use drugs that are known to influence the chemical messengers activated by D2-like receptors and inject them into the body or into the brain of the rats. If these drugs dose-dependently impair reward-related incentive learning, results will implicate D2-like receptor signaling in the mechanisms underlying that learning.

众所周知，行为可以通过奖励来改变（例如，食物、水、远离危险的安全、性），但对潜在的大脑机制知之甚少。奖励产生激励学习，即，通过预测奖励的刺激获得增强的引起接近和其他反应的能力。这种形式的学习是由大脑神经递质多巴胺介导的，多巴胺在获得奖励时释放出来。在接受奖励的动物或人类的大脑中，释放的多巴胺占据受体-就像锁中的钥匙一样适合它们-影响脑神经细胞内的化学信息，即，神经元这些化学信息负责生长过程和其他化学变化，这些化学变化是激励学习的基础。多巴胺受体有几种类型，形成两个家族，称为D1和D2样受体。以前的工作已经确定了一个重要的作用，在激励学习的化学信使激活的D1样受体。最近，D2样受体被发现影响一组不同的化学信使，但对它们在激励学习中的可能作用知之甚少。建议的实验研究D2样受体连接的化学信使在激励学习的可能作用。大鼠将在一项任务中接受训练，在该任务中，它们通常表现出对它们先前获得奖励的地方的偏好。我和我的学生学员将使用已知的药物来影响由D2样受体激活的化学信使，并将它们注射到老鼠的身体或大脑中。如果这些药物剂量依赖性地损害奖励相关的激励学习，结果将涉及D2样受体信号传导的机制，学习。