Neurobiology of peptidergic and aminergic neurons in insects

我的研究项目的中心主题是昆虫神经系统的功能。我们正在建立神经系统沟通的机制;使用神经生理学，神经化学，内分泌学和分子生物学技术检查激素，突触和调节机制。我们要问的问题对所有神经系统都非常重要：神经元如何将信息传递到靶细胞？什么类型的化学物质作为这种信息的传递者，这些化学信息是如何被靶细胞翻译的？如何调节和协调这些信息，使动物产生适当的行为？特别是，我们感兴趣的肽和胺的作用，作为神经激素，释放到血液中，以协调活动的不同群体的细胞，并作为神经调质，调制正在进行的活动的不同途径。我们专注于一些已确定的肽家族和胺和新的肽，结合多种技术，以寻求完整的理解适当的细胞的整合和调节。

The central theme of my research program is the functioning of the insect nervous system. We are establishing the mechanisms by which the nervous system communicates; examining hormonal, synaptic, and modulatory mechanisms using neurophysiological, neurochemical, endocrinological, and molecular biological techniques. The questions we are asking are fundamentally important for all nervous systems: How can a neuron transmit information to a target cell? What types of chemicals act as the transmitters for this information and how are these chemical messages translated by the target cell? How can this information be modulated and coordinated to produce an appropriate behaviour in the animal? In particular we are interested in the role of peptides and amines as neurohormones, released into the blood to co-ordinate activities of diverse groups of cells, and as neuromodulators, modulating the ongoing activities of distinct pathways. We focus on a number of identified peptide families and amines and novel peptides, incorporating multiple techniques in the quest for a complete understanding of the integration and regulation of the appropriate cells.