RUI: Pubertal Maturation of the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis

青春期是一个重要的发展阶段，其特征是生理和神经功能的许多转变。 虽然大多数人都很欣赏在这一发展时期发生的巨大荷尔蒙变化，但青少年个体遇到的生活经历类型也发生了巨大变化。 这些经历可能会导致增加对环境中压力源的暴露。 越来越多的研究表明，一个人对压力的反应，无论是生理上还是神经生物学上，在生命的这个阶段都会发生很大的变化。 尽管这些青春期相关的压力反应的变化，相对较少的是知道这些变化背后的生物学机制。 重要的是要解决这种理解中的这些差距，因为压力会破坏许多身体和大脑系统，这些系统在这段时间内正在发展成成年人的模式。 这些实验将开始，利用结合了整个机体和生化水平研究的实验动物模型，揭示调节青春期应激反应变化的神经和内分泌机制。 这些研究产生的结果将有助于并大大扩展目前对青春期成熟和压力如何相互作用以影响大脑和身体的理解。 重要的是，这些研究将在巴纳德学院进行，这是一所全女子文科学院。 因此，除了这些实验导致对发展的基本理解取得重大进展之外，对这一建议的支持还将为许多女大学生提供充分的教育机会，参加研究经验的各个方面。

Puberty is a significant stage of development marked by many transitions in both physiological and neural function. Though most people appreciate the large hormonal changes that occur during this period of development, the types of life experiences that an adolescent individual encounters also change dramatically. These experiences can result in increased exposure to stressors in the environment. A growing body of research indicates that how an individual responds to stress, both physiologically and neurobiologically, changes substantially during this stage of life. Despite these pubertal-related shifts in stress reactivity, relatively little is known about the biological mechanisms that underlie these shifts. It is important to address these gaps in this understanding as stress can disrupt many of the body and brain systems that are developing into their adult-like patterns during this time. Using an experimental animal model that combines studies at the whole organism and biochemical levels, these experiments will begin to reveal the neural and endocrinological mechanisms that mediate the pubertal changes in stress responsiveness. The results produced by these studies will contribute to, and greatly extend, the current understanding of how pubertal maturation and stress interact to affect both the brain and body. Importantly, these studies will be undertaken at Barnard College, an all-women liberal arts college. Thus, in addition to these experiments leading to significant advances in the fundamental understanding of development, support of this proposal will also provide many female undergraduates with ample educational opportunities to take part in all aspects of the research experience.