Stress and serotonergic signal transduction in prefrontal cortex

我的研究项目的一个关键目标是确定控制前额皮质兴奋性的细胞机制，前额皮质是大脑中一个在情绪调节中起关键作用的区域。这项资助的重点是5 -羟色胺受体及其下游效应物之间的关系如何在发育期间、成年期或发育期和成年期压力源的组合中受到压力的影响。由于前额叶皮层中的5 -羟色胺受体在控制我们对周围世界的情绪反应中起着重要作用，了解压力如何影响5 -羟色胺能信号转导的平衡对于理解压力改变我们思考、感受和应对后续压力的细胞机制至关重要。

A key goal of my research program is to identify the cellular mechanisms that govern the excitability of the prefrontal cortex, a brain region that plays a key role in emotional regulation. This grant focuses on how the relationship between the serotonin receptors and their downstream effectors is altered by exposure to stress during development, in adulthood, or a combination of both developmental and adult stressors. Since serotonin receptors in prefrontal cortex play important roles in controlling emotional responses to the world around us, understanding how stress affects the balance of serotonergic signal transduction is essential to appreciate the cellular mechanisms through which stress changes how we think and feel and cope with subsequent stress.