ADOLESCENT STRESS AND NEURAL PLASTICITY

描述(申请者摘要)：这份建议书考察了 在发育期间大脑与应激环境之间的关系 青春期。有充分的证据表明，围产期应激源会影响大脑。 发展导致长期的神经生物学和行为后果。 然而，人们对压力的生物学后果知之甚少。 青春期。有报道称，12岁至15岁的青少年排名第三 在受害比例上，16-19岁的青少年受害最多 人口中的一个群体。在动物模型中，青春期或青春期男性 暴露在较大仓鼠威胁和攻击压力下的仓鼠 与他们的年轻人相比，年轻时表现出了改变的激励性行为 同级控件。此外，有青春期病史的成年动物 压力改变了大脑的化学成分，特别是精氨酸加压素 AVP和5-羟色胺(5-HT)对下丘脑的神经支配 对争斗行为的规范。这项工作提出了三个问题：(1) 青少年应激影响AVP和5-羟色胺系统；(2)行为和 青春期应激引起的神经生物学变化不同于 成年期应激所致；及(3)神经生物学和 青少年压力下的行为是永久性的？应激引起的AVP变化 5-羟色胺系统是通过基因转录、受体等指标确定的 微透析结合和神经递质释放；行为和 在青春期或成年期暴露于压力下的兄弟姐妹的神经生物学是 与年龄匹配的兄弟姐妹对照组和青春期应激的动物进行比较 在几个月的时间里接受行为和神经生物学的恢复检查。 这项工作将有助于理解青春期压力的影响以及 大脑从对这一潜在脆弱的侮辱中恢复的能力 发展时期。

DESCRIPTION (applicant's abstract): This proposal examines the interaction between the brain and a stressful environment during the developmental period of adolescence. It is well documented that perinatal stressors can affect brain development resulting in long-term neurobiological and behavioral consequences. However, little is known about the biological consequences of stress in adolescence. There are reports that adolescents between 12-15 are ranked third in victimization rate while adolescents between 16-19 are the most victimized group in the population. In an animal model, peripubertal or adolescent male hamsters exposed to the stress of threat and attack from larger hamsters present with altered agonistic behavior as young adults when compared to their sibling controls. In addition, adult animals with a history of adolescent stress have altered brain chemistry, specifically, the arginine vasopressin (AVP) and serotonin (5-HT) innervation to the hypothalamus involved in the regulation of agonistic behavior. This work asks three questions: (1) how has adolescent stress affected the AVP and 5-HT systems; (2) are the behavioral and neurobiological changes caused by stress in adolescence different from those caused by stress in adulthood; and (3) are the changes in neurobiology and behavior from adolescent stress permanent? Stress-induced changes in the AVP and the 5-HT systems are determined by measures of gene transcription, receptor binding, and neurotransmitter release with microdialysis; the behavior and neurobiology of siblings exposed to stress during adolescence or adulthood are compared to age matched sibling controls; and animals stressed in adolescence are examined over several months for recovery of behavior and neurobiology. This work will help understand the effects of stress in adolescence and the ability of the brain to recover from insult at this potentially vulnerable period of development.