INFORMATION PROCESSING IN THE NUCLEUS ACCUMBENS

描述（改编自申请人的摘要）：多巴胺能投射到 脑桥核是临床上有效的抗精神病药的靶点， 它与精神分裂症的病理生理学有关。此外，本发明还提供了一种方法， 几项成像研究表明，许多皮层区域也 在这种疾病的影响，包括前额叶皮层和海马 阵建立这些系统如何相互作用将提供 这是我们对这一现象的神经基础的理解的一个重大进步， 毁灭性的混乱脑桥核是一个大脑区域， 将这些看似无关的神经系统整合到一个概念中， 框架.事实上，这个大脑区域几乎与每个区域都有联系， 与这种疾病有关。揭示信息整合机制 是我们研究工作的主要目标。在这 建议，我们计划评估多巴胺，海马和其他边缘系统的作用， 在控制神经核细胞活动的输入。我们会研究 这些输入对活动状态和静默状态之间转换的影响 神经元的表现。海马门控的皮层通量在脑缺血再灌注中的应用 我们以前提出的核辐射，以及参与 在控制前额叶皮层反应中的其他边缘系统输入将是 通过同时记录海马体中的电活动来评估 和丘脑核。单胺的作用（也涉及 精神分裂症）对脑桥核细胞兴奋性和活动状态的影响 使用体内和体外细胞内记录进行研究。最后， 间隙连接依赖的信息传递在 将通过以下方法评估活动状态同步的神经元 在体外从成对的偶联细胞进行双全细胞钳记录， 细胞

DESCRIPTION (Adapted from Applicant's abstract): The dopaminergic projection to the nucleus accumbens is the target of clinically effective antipsychotics and it has been implicated in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. In addition, several imaging studies have shown a number of cortical regions to be also affected in this disorder, including the prefrontal cortex and hippocampal formation. Establishing how these systems interact with each other will provide a significant advance in our understanding of the neural basis of this devastating disorder. The nucleus accumbens is a brain region that could integrate these seemingly unrelated neural systems within a single conceptual framework. Indeed, this brain region has connections with virtually every area implicated in this disease. Unveiling the mechanisms of information integration in the nucleus accumbens is a major goal in our research efforts. In this proposal, we plan to assess the role of dopamine, hippocampal and other limbic inputs in the control of nucleus accumbens cell activity. We will study the impact of these inputs on the transitions between the active and silent states accumbens neurons exhibit. The hippocampal gating of cortical throughput in the nucleus accumbens previously proposed by us, as well as the involvement of other limbic inputs in the control of prefrontal-accumbens responses will be assessed with simultaneous recordings of electrical activity in the hippocampus and the nucleus accumbens. The actions of monoamines (also implicated in schizophrenia) on nucleus accumbens cell excitability and activity states will be studied using both in vivo and in vitro intracellular recordings. Finally, the potential role of gap junction-dependent transfer of information between accumbens neurons on the synchronization of active states will be assessed by performing dual whole-cell clamp recordings in vitro from pairs of coupled cells.