中央导水管灰质腹外侧区GABA能神经元参与调控能量代谢平衡的机制研究

维持机体能量的代谢平衡对于恒温动物在自然界中的生存繁衍至关重要。因此，恒温动物进化出了严密的身体营养水平监控系统和能量平衡调节系统来维持正常的生理活动。然而在当代社会中高糖高脂食物迅速流行，人们摄入过多能量导致肥胖问题。因此，深入研究中枢神经系统调控能量平衡和体脂稳态的机制具有重要的理论意义及应用价值。我们前期工作发现中央导水管灰质腹外侧区的一类GABA能神经元可以特异地参与调控摄食行为，起到抑制摄食的作用。考虑到摄食行为是维持内环境能量稳态的一个重要环节，我们推测这群“抑食”神经元不仅参与调控摄食行为，还可能参与调控体内能量平衡和体脂稳态，是阻止肥胖的“刹车”系统之一。在本项目中我们拟通过动物行为学、光遗传学、药理遗传学、全细胞膜片钳等技术来探索中央导水管灰质腹外侧区GABA能神经元参与调控能量平衡和体脂稳态的机制。

Maintaining the energy homeostasis plays a critical role in survival and reproduction of the warm-blooded animals. During evolution, homothermals have developed a sophisticated system to monitor physical nutrition and regulate energy balance. In contemporary society, total calorie intake of people increases rapidly due to the ease access to high-calorie foods, which leads to the imbalance of energy homeostasis and even causes obesity and related diseases. Therefore, it is extremely important to study the mechanisms of central nervous system regulating energy homeostasis. Our previous findings uncover that GABAergic neurons in the ventrolateral periaqueductal gray (vlPAG) participate in feeding behavior. Activation of these neurons reduces food intake in starving mice. Here, we hypothesize that GABAergic neurons in the vlPAG may also participate in energy metabolism and homeostasis. In this study, we will employ behavioral assays, optogenetics, chemogenetics and electrophysiology to investigate our hypothesis.