NEUROENDOCRINE REGULATION OF BEHAVIORS

描述（改编自摘要）：卵巢类固醇激素， 雌二醇和孕酮，调节生理和行为，包括 各种物种的发情行为。 许多证据支持这一观点 这些激素在大脑中起作用的一种机制是， 结合并随后激活的细胞特异性受体 然后可以作为基因表达的细胞核调节器。 虽然 已知类固醇激素受体受类固醇激素调节， 有证据表明进入类固醇敏感神经元的传入信息 可以影响神经元和行为对类固醇激素的反应。 下 在某些情况下，传入输入可以调节 受体，在其他情况下，它可能会激活受体，导致 依赖于受体的神经元变化。 拟议 实验中，传入输入和类固醇激素之间的两种相互作用 将对受体进行研究。 第一，在细胞凋亡中， 将检查介导神经元对传入输入的反应，然后， 通过调节雌激素受体和随后的发情行为， 将研究来自交配刺激的传入输入。 在第一组实验中，交配刺激将被用作 对类固醇有影响的外部生理相关刺激 神经元敏感。 有待检验的假设是， 对交配刺激的神经元反应是通过激活 细胞内的类胡萝卜素受体。 在第二组实验中， 待检验假设是，对黑曲霉素的传入刺激 含受体神经元影响随后的发情行为， 即早基因和resistin蛋白产物的表达 受体。 在第三组实验中，要检验的假设是 儿茶酚胺能神经递质介导了交配的效果 刺激对动情行为和神经元反应的影响 胆固醇敏感神经元。 研究者假设， 存在着对交配有反应的含雌激素受体的神经元 刺激，还含有儿茶酚胺能受体亚型。 在这些神经元中，通过儿茶酚胺能受体的传入输入可能 影响睾丸素受体功能，从而影响行为， physiology.

DESCRIPTION (Adapted from the Abstract): The ovarian steroid hormones, estradiol and progesterone, regulate physiology and behavior, including estrous behavior, in a variety of species. Much evidence supports the idea that one mechanism by which these hormones act in the brain is by way of binding to, and subsequent activation of, hormone-specific receptors which may then act as cell nuclear regulators of gene expression. Although steroid hormone receptors are known to be regulated by steroid hormones, evidence suggests that afferent input into steroid hormone-sensitive neurons can influence neuronal and behavioral response to steroid hormones. Under some circumstances, afferent input may regulate the concentration of receptors and, in other cases, it may activate receptors, resulting in neuronal changes that are dependent upon receptors. In the proposed experiments, two interactions between afferent input and steroid hormone receptors will be explored. First, the role of progestin receptors in mediating neuronal response to afferent input will be examined and, then, the regulation of progestin receptors and subsequent estrous behavior by afferent input coming from mating stimulation will be studied. In the first set of experiments, mating stimulation will be used as an external, physiologically-relevant stimulus with effects on steroid hormone-sensitive neurons. The hypothesis to be tested is that some of the neuronal responses to mating stimulation are mediated by activation of intracellular progestin receptors. In the second set of experiments, the hypothesis to be tested is that afferent stimulation of progestin receptor-containing neurons influences subsequent estrous behavior and expression of both protein products of immediate early genes and progestin receptors. In the third set of experiments, the hypothesis to be tested is that catecholaminergic neurotransmitters mediate the effects of mating stimulation on estrous behavior and on neuronal responses of progesterone-sensitive neurons. The Investigator hypothesizes that progestin receptor-containing neurons exist that are responsive to mating stimulation and that also contain subtypes of catecholaminergic receptors. In these neurons, afferent input by way of catecholaminergic receptors may influence progestin receptor function, and consequently behavior and physiology.