NEUROCHEMICAL INTERACTIONS AND OXYTOCIN NEURONS

这项研究的长期目标是了解神经 哺乳期催产素释放的潜在机制。这个 本提案中的实验专门旨在确定 去甲肾上腺素和兴奋性氨基酸，如谷氨酸，如何影响 已鉴定的催产素神经元的电生理特性 细胞内电流和电压钳记录对哺乳期大鼠的影响 在下丘脑-神经垂体外植体或在急性分离的神经元中 从哺乳期的老鼠身上。本提案结合了 兴奋性氨基酸和氨基酸作用的表征 去甲肾上腺素与记录的神经元的识别为 催产素或加压素能使用免疫细胞化学或 免疫印迹技术。这个项目的广泛假设是 去甲肾上腺素和兴奋性氨基酸相互作用形成放电 催产素神经元在哺乳期的行为。这样做的具体目的是 项目有：1)检查去甲肾上腺素和α-1的作用 催乳期激动剂对催产素神经元膜特性的影响 雌性大鼠；2)兴奋性氨基酸在大鼠脑内的作用 催产素神经元，特别是确定AMPA和NMDA 受体存在；以及3)确定兴奋性的水平 氨基酸和去甲肾上腺素对催产素神经元有协同作用。 对于每个目的，对催产素神经元的放电模式也有影响 AS对特定膜电位特性和离子的影响 将对渠道进行寻址。此外，任何影响与 催产素的释放将使用发射器调制的尖峰序列进行测试 以驱动电刺激分离的荷尔蒙释放 神经叶。催产素的释放对所有人的正常哺乳是必不可少的 哺乳动物，但对这种特定的膜几乎一无所知 这些神经元在哺乳期的特性。

The long-term objective of this research is to understand the neural mechanisms underlying the release of oxytocin during lactation. The experiments in the present proposal are aimed specifically at determining how norepinephrine and excitatory amino acids, such as glutamate, affect the electrophysiological characteristics of identified oxytocin neurons in the lactating rat using intracellular current and voltage clamp recordings in the hypothalamo-neurohypophysial explant or in acutely isolated neurons from the lactating rat. The present proposal combines the characterization of the actions of excitatory amino acids and norepinephrine with the identification of the recorded neurons as oxytocinergic or vasopressinergic using immunocytochemical or immunoblotting techniques. The broad hypothesis of this project is that norepinephrine and excitatory amino acids interact to shape the firing behavior of oxytocin neurons during lactation. The Specific Aims of this project are: 1) to examine the effects of norepinephrine and alpha-1 agonists on the membrane properties of oxytocin neurons in lactating female rats; 2) to characterize the action of excitatory amino acids on oxytocin neurons and in particular to identify whether both AMPA and NMDA receptors are present; and 3) to determine the level at which excitatory amino acids and norepinephrine act synergistically on oxytocin neurons. For each aim the effects on the firing pattern of oxytocin neurons as well as the effects on specific membrane potential characteristics and ion channels will be addressed. In addition, the relevance of any effects to oxytocin release will be tested using transmitter-modulated spike trains to drive the electrical stimulation of hormone release from isolated neural lobes. Oxytocin release is essential to normal lactation in all mammals, yet virtually nothing is known about the specific membrane properties of these neurons during lactation.