内侧前额叶皮层在意识性主动排尿行为中的作用及机制研究

人和动物通过控制尿液的释放来调节生理功能和社交行为。意识性主动排尿依赖于大脑皮层的调控且机制复杂。近年来，大脑皮层在主动排尿行为中的调控作用取得了突破性进展。我们课题组前期研究结果表明初级运动皮层在主动排尿行为的调控中发挥重要作用。作为比初级运动皮层更加高级的内侧前额叶皮层（mPFC）是决策和执行运动控制的“核心”脑区，但其在决策主动排尿发生与否中的作用尚不清楚。本课题拟联合运用神经示踪技术、光纤记录、光遗传学和化学遗传学技术，来鉴定参与调控主动排尿的mPFC神经元的解剖定位和细胞类型，并解析不同类型mPFC神经元在主动排尿行为中的活动模式和作用机制。本研究旨在进一步阐明大脑皮层调控意识性主动排尿行为的神经机制，为临床中mPFC病变导致排尿功能障碍相关疾病的诊疗提供新的靶点。

Humans and animals control the release of urine to mediate physiological functions as well as for social communication. Voluntary urination is dependent on the regulation of cerebral cortex and its mechanism is complex. In recent years, breakthroughs have been made in the cortical control of voluntary urination. Our previous findings suggest that the primary motor cortex plays an important role in the control of voluntary urination. The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), which is a higher region than the primary motor cortex, is the "core" brain region for decision-making and executive motion control. But its function in deciding whether to start micturition is unclear. This study aims to identify the anatomical location and cell types of mPFC neurons involved in the control of voluntary urination, and to analyze the activity patterns and mechanisms of different types of mPFC neurons in voluntary urination by use of the pseudorabies virus-based retrograde trans-synaptic tracing, optical fiber recording, optogenentic and chemogenetic manipulations. The purpose of this study is to further clarify the neural mechanism of cerebral cortex in voluntary urination control, and provide a new target for the clinical diagnosis and treatment of urination-related diseases caused by mPFC lesions.