PHARMACOLOGY OF NEUROTRANSMITTERS IN HAIR CELL ORGAN: INNER EAR

内耳的主要感觉细胞(毛细胞)释放 一种刺激听觉神经纤维的神经递质。这个 此发射机的标识，可能不是已知的 神经递质，是这个项目的目标。我们已经净化了， 从毛细胞组织和视网膜，一种可以兴奋的物质 支配毛细胞的传入神经纤维。这种物质出现了 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；然而，它显然是 不是谷氨酸或任何其他普遍研究的物质。我们的目标是 为了鉴定兴奋物质的化学结构， 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……之外 在智力上的内在重要性 毛细胞释放的神经递质，这项工作可能有 对耳鼻咽喉科有重要的实际意义 对听觉以外的神经生物学领域的广泛重要性 系统。如果有可能开发出具有一定特异性的药物 前庭纤维，一种治疗运动病和顽固性疾病的方法 眩晕可能会导致这种情况。明智地使用具有特效性的药物 因为听觉系统可能会减轻某些形式的外周 耳鸣。我们从毛细胞中分离出的兴奋性氨基酸 组织和视网膜是一种很好的神经递质 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 在神经系统内，它几乎肯定会提供 一种有选择地研究他人的传递和功能的方法 神经系统的各个区域。

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.