Interactions Between Neurohormonal Systems: Studies at the Cellular Level

动物之间的一种常见行为是攻击性，这可能发生在争夺食物、配偶或其他有限资源的过程中。在与同一社会群体中的其他个体的斗争中获胜或失败的结果是，随后的行为模式会发生变化，因为胜利者可以支配失败者。一种生化化合物，胺- 5 -羟色胺，已知对攻击性很重要，但其他激素物质也有牵连，包括肽和类固醇，它们可能与胺相互作用。龙虾是一种群居的甲壳类动物，表现出复杂的刻板行为，这为研究大脑中单个可识别细胞水平上的行为激素调节提供了机会。含有胺的特定细胞组已被绘制，一组含有应激相关肽的神经元已被确定与胺神经元组相互作用。这个项目检查了龙虾神经元的细胞网络，这些神经元含有血清素、某些肽和类固醇，并对它们有反应。电生理记录和形态分析将揭示系统是如何被激活的，并详细描述突触相互作用和所涉及的电路。研究结果对行为神经科学和神经内分泌学具有重要意义，有助于阐明激素调控攻击行为的细胞机制，攻击行为是人类和动物的重要行为。该项目还将通过将教育和培训与研究的良好结合，包括全球合作和向代表性不足的群体伸出援手，产生影响。

A common behavior among animals is aggression, which can occur during competition for food, mates, or other limited resources. As a consequence of winning or losing fights with other individuals in the same social group, subsequent behavioral patterns change, as winners can dominate losers. A biochemical compound, the amine serotonin, is known to be important in aggression, but other hormonal substances also have been implicated including peptides and steroids, which may interact with amines. The lobster is a social crustacean that shows complex stereotyped behavior, and offers the opportunity to examine the hormonal modulation of behavior at the level of single identifiable cells in the brain. Specific sets of cells containing amines have been mapped, and a group of neurons containing stress-related peptides has been identified that interact with the amine neuron sets. This project examines the cellular networks of the lobster neurons containing and responsive to serotonin and certain peptides and steroids. Electrophysiological recordings and morphological analyses will reveal how the systems are activated, and detail the synaptic interactions and circuitry involved. Results will be important for behavioral neuroscience as well as neuroendocrinology, in clarifying cellular mechanisms underlying the hormonal regulation of aggression, which is an important behavior in humans as well as animals. This project also will have an impact through its excellent integration of education and training with research, including worldwide collaborations and outreach to under-represented groups.