RUI: Role of Peptides in Modulating the Output of a Small Neural System

近年来，在脊椎动物和无脊椎动物中都发现了大量的神经递质和神经调节物质。这些物质包括一些胺和数量不断增加的神经肽，它们的确切生理作用尚不清楚。然而，在许多情况下，多肽在本质上是调节性的，引起正在进行的神经元活动的相对长期的改变，或在先前静止的制剂中诱导这种活动。这种神经元活动的改变和调节对所有动物来说都是常见的，对各种各样的活动都是必不可少的。研究神经肽在调节神经元活动中的作用不仅有助于进一步阐明在神经系统中发现的许多物质的生理作用，而且有助于阐明神经元调节发生的机制。也许目前最适合研究调制的系统是那些有规律模式活动发生的系统。十足甲壳类动物的口胃神经系统就是这样一个系统，在这个系统中，肽在调节神经元活动中的作用可以很容易地得到解决。有关神经元活动的肽能调节的问题，特别是有节奏的模式活动，已经从几个角度进行了探讨。在口胃系统中各种神经肽的识别和定位方面已经付出了相当大的努力。此外，一些神经肽对口胃系统的生理作用也被研究。此外，至少有一个调节神经元已被确定，并研究了其对系统的调节作用。然而，缺乏的是这三种实验的综合，对单个调节神经元使用的递质的积极识别，以及这些神经元以生理相关的方式被激活时的影响。Patsy Dickinson博士目前的研究旨在通过两种方式填补我们的知识空白：(1)通过识别和记录含有神经肽的神经元，以及(2)通过检查这些神经肽存在的调节神经元。

In recent years, an enormous number of neurotransmitter and neuromodulatory substances have been identified in both vertebrate and invertebrate substances. These substances include a number of amines and an ever-increasing number of neuropeptides, the exact physiological roles of which are still unclear. However, it appears in many cases that the peptides are modulatory in nature, provoking relatively long-term alterations of ongoing neuronal activity or inducing such activity in previously quiescent preparations. Such modification and modulation of neuronal activity is common to all animals, and is essential to a wide variety of activities. Studies of the roles of neuropeptides in modulating neuronal activities will thus serve to clarify further not only the physiological roles of the many substances found in the nervous system but also the mechanisms by which neuronal modulation can occur. Perhaps the most amenable systems for the study of modulation at present are those systems in which a regularly patterned activity occurs. One such system, in which the role of peptides in modulating neuronal activity can be addressed readily, is the stomatogastric nervous system of decapod crustaceans. Questions related to the peptidergic modulation of neuronal activity, particulary rhythmically patterned activity, have already been approached from several perspectives. Considerable effort has been devoted to identifying and localizing a variety of neuropeptides in the stomatogastric system. In addition, the physiological effects of a number of neuropeptides on the stomatogastric system have been studied. Furthermore, at least one modulatory neuron has been identified, and its modulatory effects on the system have been studied. What is lacking, however, is the synthesis of these three types of experiments, the positive identification of the transmitters used by individual modulatory neurons and the effects of these neurons when fired in a physiologically relevant manner. The present study by Dr. Patsy Dickinson is designed to begin to fill this gap in our knowledge in two ways: (1) by identifying and recording from neurons containing neuropeptides, and (2) by examining modulatory neurons for the presence of these neuropeptides.