NEURAL BASIS OF TASTE ELICITED INGESTION AND REJECTION

这项研究计划的目标是确定神经 啮齿动物后脑中的底物，通过它来产生味觉刺激 引导进食行为。虽然摄食的调节 行为极其复杂，涉及到广泛的 中枢神经系统，味觉的基本调节功能 在尾侧脑干是完整的。慢性肌电图 记录实验已经表征了摄取行为的特征 和对味觉刺激的拒绝通过确定激活 三叉神经、面部、歧义和 舌下肌。舌下神经元电活动的记录 与肌电图平行显示不同的反应 从牵引器运动神经元到不同的突起运动神经元 摄取和排斥过程中的味觉刺激。神经学 介导这些口部运动反应的底物是多突触和 解剖学实验已经描绘了脑干中的区域 以网状结构和孤束核为候选 协调和排序复杂的协同效应的区域 摄取和排斥。使用神经生理学技术 急性实验，这些区域的神经元将被测试 他们对口腔内触觉、味觉和 本体感觉刺激和与口肌运动核团的连接。这个 中间神经元的动态反应将在摄取过程中进行测试 和排斥反应并与慢性运动神经元反应进行比较 实验。解剖追踪研究将确定 具有不同反应的突起和牵引肌运动神经元 味觉刺激有不同的神经元间投射。慢性 肥胖、高血压和神经性厌食症等疾病 与摄取紊乱有关。了解神经学 这一基本的生物决定是摄取还是排斥的基础 将有助于这些慢性疾病的最终解决 衰弱障碍

The objective of this research proposal is to determine the neural substrate in the rodent hindbrain through which gustatory stimuli guides ingestive behavior. Although the regulation of ingestive behavior is exceedingly complex, involving widespread regions of the central nervous system, the basic regulatory function of taste is complete in the caudal brainstem. Chronic electromyographic recording experiments have characterized the behaviors of ingestion and rejection to gustatory stimuli by determining the activation sequences of a subset of trigeminal, facial, ambiguous and hypoglossal muscles. Recording from hypoglossal neurons in parallel with the electromyography reveals differential responses of protruder motoneurons from retractor motoneurons to different gustatory stimuli during ingestion and rejection. The neural substrate mediating these oro-motor responses is polysynaptic and anatomical experiments have delineated regions in the brainstem reticular formation and nucleus of the solitary tract as candidate regions for coordinating and sequencing the complex synergies of ingestion and rejection. Using neurophysiological techniques in acute experiments, neurons in these regions will be tested for their sensitivities to intra-oral tactile, gustatory and proprioceptive stimuli and connectivity to oro-motor nuclei. The dynamic responses of interneurons will be tested during ingestion and rejection and compared to motoneuron responses in chronic experiments. Anatomical tracing studies will determine if protruder and retractor motoneurons that respond differentially to gustatory stimuli have different interneuron projections. Chronic disorders such as obesity, hypertension and anorexia nervosa are related to disordered ingestion. Understanding the neurological basis of this fundamental biological decision to ingest or reject will contribute to the eventual solution of these chronic debilitating disorders