Neurotransmitter Interactions in the Medial Preoptic Area ofthe Brain.

男性的生殖功能受大脑中称为内侧视前区的区域控制。在该区域内，几种神经递质及其相互作用调节着这一功能。在这个奖项中，Elaine Hull博士将研究将神经递质物质直接注射到视前内侧区域的效果，以及这些物质在同一区域的内源性水平。用来收集沐浴脑组织的液体的技术是微透析，用来测量神经递质水平的技术是高效液相色谱法。这两种技术对脑组织中通常存在的少量神经递质非常敏感。将进行行为观察，以确定在生殖行为期间释放哪些神经递质。研究的神经递质是5-羟色胺、多巴胺和伽马-氨基丁酸。这将提供有关控制生殖功能的生化信息的信息。从这些研究中获得的知识将有助于理解大脑如何控制复杂的功能，如繁殖。

Male reproductive function is under the control of a region of the brain called the medial preoptic area. Within that area several neurotransmitters and their interactions modulate that function. In this award, Dr. Elaine Hull will study the effects of direct injections of neurotransmitter substances into the medial preoptic area as well as the endogenous levels of these substances in the same region. The technique used to collect fluid bathing the brain tissue is microdialysis and the technique used to measure the levels of the neurotransmitters is high performance liquid chromatography. Both of these techniques are very sensitive to the small amounts of neurotransmitters that are normally present within brain tissue. Behavioral observations will be made in order to determine which neurotransmitters are released during reproductive behavior. The neurotransmitters studied will be serotonin, dopamine, and gamma-aminobutyric acid. This will provide information about the biochemical messages that control reproductive function. The knowledge gained in these studies will contribute to understanding how the brain controls complex functions, such as reproduction.