RUI: Thyroid Hormone Physiology in Adult Rat Brain

甲状腺激素在大脑中的作用被认为仅限于在发育早期对基因表达的影响，但新的证据表明，甲状腺激素可以影响成人的大脑。罗格斯大学卡姆登校区的研究人员发现，成年大鼠大脑中的甲状腺激素对基因表达以外的几种生化机制有特殊影响。这些和其他数据表明，在成熟的中枢神经系统中，甲状腺激素具有一种新型的信号功能。定义中枢神经系统化学信号的关键特征包括(A)大脑作用部位物质水平的生理相关变化，以及(B)导致(C)大脑活动的功能显著变化(S)的细胞反应的特定调节。由于潜在的细胞反应很早就被发现，目前的研究将把脑内细胞外甲状腺激素浓度和代谢的时间模式与昼夜节律和睡眠相关变量联系起来。进一步的研究将检验向睡眠相关的大脑结构微量注射甲状腺激素对睡眠脑电(EEG)测量的影响。因此，这些研究的结果将深入了解先前证明的甲状腺激素在成年哺乳动物大脑中的作用的生理学相关性，特别是在睡眠调节方面。该项目将为众多本科生和硕士生提供更多的研究机会，让他们在实践中学习。罗格斯-卡姆登实验室之间的跨学科合作，在这一领域有着良好的记录。

The actions of thyroid hormones in brain were believed to be limited to effects on gene expression during the early developmental period, but new evidence has shown that thyroid hormones can influence the adult brain. The researchers at the Camden campus of Rutgers University have found specific effects of thyroid hormones in adult rat brain on several biochemical mechanisms other than gene expression. These and other data suggest a novel type of signaling function of thyroid hormones in the mature CNS. The key features defining a chemical signal in CNS include (a) a physiologically relevant variation in levels of the substance at the brain site of action and (b) the specific regulation of a cellular response leading to (c) functionally significant alteration(s) in brain activity. Since potential cellular responses have been identified earlier, current studies will relate temporal patterns of extracellular thyroid hormone concentration and metabolism in brain to circadian and sleep-related variables. Further studies will examine the effects of microinjection of thyroid hormones to sleep-related brain structures on electroencephalographic (EEG) measures of sleep. The results from these studies will therefore give insight into the physiological relevance of previously-demonstrated effects of thyroid hormones in adult mammalian brain, particularly with regard to regulation of sleep. The project will increase research opportunities for numerous undergraduates and masters students to ?learn by doing? in an interdisciplinary collaboration between Rutgers-Camden laboratories with strong track records in this area.