International Research Fellow Award: Synaptic integration and propagation of layer I inputs to the soma of layer V pyramidal neurons of the prefrontal cortex.

0076185 Gulledge国际研究员奖励计划使美国科学家和工程师能够在国外进行三到二十四个月的研究。 该计划的奖项提供了机会，联合研究，并使用独特的或互补的设施，专业知识和国外的实验条件。Gulledge在澳大利亚堪培拉的澳大利亚国立大学John Curtain医学研究学院与Greg Stuart博士合作了24个月。前额叶皮层的锥体神经元从远端树突上的其他皮层区域接收信息。本计画将探讨枝晶电导是否会放大这些输入。 为了研究远端突触输入如何整合在哺乳动物皮层的单个树突树中，将测试三个假设。 1)I层突触输入足以在这些神经元的顶丛中诱导Na+和/或Ca+峰：2）I层兴奋性输入通过与反向传播的体细胞诱发的动作电位相互作用来调节这些神经元的动作电位产生模式;和3）多巴胺，前额叶皮层中的一种重要的神经调质抑制第一层兴奋性突触后电位向这些第五层的索马的传播主持人Stuart博士在皮层神经元突触整合领域拥有丰富的经验。 他开创了记录大脑切片中神经元树突过程的技术。

0076185GulledgeThe International Research Fellow Awards Program enables U.S. scientists and engineers to conduct three to twenty-four months of research abroad. The program's awards provide opportunities for joint research, and the use of unique or complementary facilities, expertise and experimental conditions abroad.This award will provide Dr. Allan T. Gulledge with support for 24 months to work with Dr. Greg Stuart at the John Curtain School of Medical Research at Australian National University in Canberra, Australia.Pyramidal neurons in the prefrontal cortex receive information from other cortical areas on distal dendrites. This project will investigate whether dendritic conductances amplify these inputs. To study how distal synaptic inputs are integrated within individual dendritic trees in the mammalian cortex, three hypotheses will be tested. 1) Layer I synaptic input is sufficient to induce Na+ and/or Ca+ spikes in the apical tufts of these neurons; 2) Layer I excitatory inputs modulate the pattern of action potential generation in these neurons by interacting with back propagating somatically evoked action potentials; and 3) Dopamine, a prominent neuromodulator in the prefrontal cortex inhibits the propagation of layer I excitory postsynaptic potentials toward the soma of these layer V cells.The host, Dr. Stuart has extensive experience in the field of synaptic integration in cortical neurons. He pioneered techniques for recording from dendritic processes of neurons in brain slices.