PHARMACOLOGY OF NEUROTRANSMITTERS IN HAIR CELL ORGAN: INNER EAR

内耳的初级感觉细胞（毛细胞）释放 一种刺激听觉神经纤维的神经传递素。 的 该发射机的标识，可能不是已知的 神经递质，是这个项目的目标。 我们净化了， 从毛细胞组织和视网膜中分离出来， 支配毛细胞的传入神经纤维。 这种物质似乎 是一种有效的，不稳定的，未知的兴奋性氨基酸， 药理活性类似于谷氨酸盐;然而，它显然是 而不是谷氨酸盐或任何其他通常研究的物质。 这些目标是 来确定兴奋性物质的化学结构， 分析其在毛细胞器官和神经系统中的分布 并确定其在毛细胞器官功能中的作用。 除了 识别的内在智力的重要性 神经递质释放的毛细胞，这项工作可能有 对耳鼻喉科有重要的实际意义， 对听觉以外的神经生物学领域具有广泛的重要性 系统 如果有可能开发出具有某种特异性的药物， 前庭纤维，治疗晕动病和顽固性 可能会导致眩晕。 正确使用具有特异性的药物 因为听觉系统可能会减轻某些形式的周边 耳鸣 我们从毛细胞中分离出兴奋性氨基酸 组织和视网膜是一个很好的候选人是一个神经递质， 神经系统的其他部分;我们已经知道它是 集中在内耳和视网膜。 如果它是本地化的 在神经系统中，它几乎肯定会提供 一种有选择地研究其他器官的传递和功能的方法， 神经系统的区域。

The primary sensory cell of the inner ear (the hair cell) releases a neurotransmitter to excite auditory nerve fibers. The identification of this transmitter, which may not be one of the known neurotransmitters, is the goal of this project. We have purified, from hair cell tissue and from retina, a substance that can excite afferent nerve fibers innervating hair cells. This substance appears to be a potent, unstable, unknown excitatory amino acid with pharmacological activity similar to glutamate; however, it is clearly not glutamate or any other commonly studied substance. The goals are to identify the chemical structure of the excitatory substance, to analyze its distribution in hair cell organs and in the nervous system and to determine its role in hair cell organ function. In addition to the intrinsic intellectual importance of identifying the neurotransmitter released by hair cells, this work may have significant practical implications for otolaryngology and sh ould have widespread importance for areas of neurobiology beyond the auditory system. If it is possible to develop drugs with some specificity for vestibular fibers, a treatment for motion sickness and intractable vertigo would likely result. Judicious use of a drug with specificity for the auditory system might alleviate some forms of peripheral tinnitus. The excitatory amino acid we have isolated from hair cell tissue and from retina is a good candidate to be a neurotransmitter in other parts of the nervous system; we already know that it is concentrated in inner ear and in retina. If it is localized discretely within the nervous system, it will almost assuredly provide a means of selectively studying transmission and function of other regions of the nervous system.