TERMINAL NERVE--ONTOGENY, CIRCUITRY, AND FUNCTION

末梢神经(TN)是一种神经节神经，位于 所有脊椎动物的鼻腔和头端颅内腔。这个 TN内LHRH样肽的存在及其表观 与化学感觉和生殖神经靶点的联系 (以及某些物种的视网膜)，表明TN可能 协调感知、神经内分泌和行为事件 导致了一次成功的交配行为。我们之前已经 研究表明，TN的损伤损害了交配行为 雄性仓鼠。这些赤字发生的机制并不是 为人所知。我们的解剖学数据表明TN相互作用 广泛地与仓鼠的犁鼻系统相连，并可能 通过影响调节行为和其他生理事件 后一种系统。然而，在亚哺乳类物种中，TN 似乎有完全不同的解剖投影在 鼻腔和大脑。因此，一种比较的研究方法 TN可能会帮助我们形成关于TN的一般假设 功能。 拟议研究的目标是：1)进一步调查 TN在生殖行为中可能发挥的作用以及 雄性和雌性仓鼠的神经内分泌反应， 2)观察大鼠TN的解剖和发育 细节。有了更好的理解 TN和其他神经结构，如嗅觉上皮 和视网膜，我们可以更好地理解这一机制 神经可能会影响动物的行为。用实验来追踪 神经的投射，并检查它的发育和 提出了超微结构特征。此外， TN损害对性行为和神经内分泌的影响 大豆对信息素刺激的反应及其对多肽含量的影响 将对神经靶组织进行调查。因为TN可以 代表了从鼻腔到生殖的直接途径 大脑的区域，这一领域的研究可能会进一步推动我们的 了解化学感官信息如何影响 在正常和异常疾病状态下繁殖。

The terminal nerve (TN) is a ganglionated nerve located in the nasal and rostral intracranial cavities of all vertebrates. The presence of LHRH-like peptide within the TN and the TN's apparent connections with chemosensory and reproductive neural targets (and the retina in some species), suggests that the TN may coordinate the perceptual, neuroendo-crine and behavioral events which lead to a successful copulatory act. We have previously shown that lesions of the TN impair the mating behavior of the male hamster. The mechanism by which these deficits occur is not known. Our anatomical data suggest that the TN interacts extensively with the vomeronasal system in the hamster and may modulate behavior and other physiological events by influencing this latter system. However, in sub-mammalian species the TN appears to have quite different anatomical projections within the nasal cavity and brain. Thus a comparative approach to studying the TN might aid us in formulating a general hypothesis on TN function. The goals of the proposed research are 1) to investigate further the role which the TN might play in reproductive behavior and neuroendocrine responses in both the male and female hamsters, and 2) to examine the anatomy and development of the TN in more detail. With a better understanding of the connections between the TN and other neural structures, such as olfactory epithelium and retina, we can better understand the mechanism by which this nerve may affect the animal's behavior. Experiments to trace the projections of the nerve and to examine its development and ultrastructural characteristics are proposed. In addition, the effects of TN lesions on sexual behavior, on neuroendocrine responses to pheromonal stimulation and on peptide content in neural target tissues will be investigated. Since the TN may represent a direct pathway from the nasal cavity to reproductive areas of the brain, research in this area may further our understanding of how chemosensory information may influence reproduction in normal and abnormal disease states.