The Neural Basis of the Brain-Body Connection

我们对大脑-身体连接的神经基础几乎一无所知。此连接是 使运动、认知和情感处理对大脑的功能产生重大影响的回路 胃、心、脾等内脏。这些网络中的不适当信号被认为是 促成了一些流行医学疾病的产生，并导致了所谓的“功能性” 还有心身障碍。这项申请中提出的实验将填补我们在 知识。我们将确定影响的皮质区域，并在某些情况下控制 胃肠道(GI)、心血管和免疫系统。 大脑和身体的连接是基于突触连接的神经元链。无常规 神经解剖示踪剂能够揭示多突触回路。为了克服这一缺点，我们 开发了在非人类灵长类动物中使用狂犬病病毒作为跨神经元示踪剂的技术。我们打算利用这一点 揭示造成自上而下影响的复杂网络的独特方法 中枢神经系统在胃、心脏和脾上。 人们越来越意识到，许多医学症状，特别是那些无法识别的症状 病理学，可能是由大脑-身体连接的障碍引起的。这种情况尤其适用于 通常是顽固性疾病，如肠易激综合征，与压力和抑郁相关的心脏病， 和纤维肌痛。因此，从我们的研究中获得的信息有可能改变这种方式 我们看待和治疗这些疾病。 从本质上讲，大脑-身体连接是一个缺乏具体基础科学基础的结构。 这项拟议研究的结果将为大脑和身体的连接建立一个结构框架 因此，为严格的研究和新的治疗方法创造了新的机会。这 信息由于其包罗万象的性质，将会引起许多NIH研究所的兴趣，如果不是所有的话 和中心。

We know almost nothing about the neural basis of the Brain-Body connection. This connection is the circuitry that enables motor, cognitive and affective processing to have a major impact on the function of internal organs such as the stomach, heart and spleen. Inappropriate signals in these networks are thought to contribute to the generation of some prevalent medical illnesses, and to cause the so-called "functional" and psychosomatic disorders. The experiments proposed in this application will fill a major gap in our knowledge. We will identify the cortical areas that influence, and in some instances control the function of the gastrointestinal (GI), cardiovascular and immune systems. The brain-body connection is based on chains of synaptically-connected neurons. No conventional neuroanatomical tracer is capable of revealing multi-synaptic circuits. To overcome this shortcoming, we developed the use of rabies virus as a transneuronal tracer in non-human primates. We propose to use this unique approach to reveal the complex networks that are responsible for the top-down influence of the central nervous system on the stomach, heart and spleen. There is a growing awareness that many medical symptoms, especially those without identifiable pathology, may be caused by a disturbance in the brain-body connection. This is especially the case for often intractable disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome, stress- and depression-related heart disease, and fibromyalgia. Thus, the information that will come from our studies has the potential to transform the way we view and treat these disorders. In essence, the brain-body connection is a construct that lacks a concrete basic science foundation. The results from the proposed research will establish a structural framework for the brain-body connection and thus, create new opportunities for rigorous research and novel approaches for treatment. This information, because of its all-encompassing nature, will be of interest to many, if not all of the NIH Institutes and Centers.