| Popis: |
Our research addresses the cellular organization and regulation of a biological clock that controls daily (circadian) rhythms of behavior (e.g. , performance), physiology and metabolism in mammals. This clock, located in the brain's suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), can be removed in a slice of hypothalamus, maintained in a life support system for up to 3 days and studied directly. Using this approach, progress in year 2 of this award has been made in: (1) further localizing time-keeping properties within the SCN of rat, (2) identifying electrophysiological properties of neurons in the major SCN subdivisions, (3) establishing regulatory roles for serotonin, a neuromodulatory input from the brain's arousal center in the raphe nuclei, as well as for neuropeptide Y, an input from the intergeniculate area, (4) determining the level of glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD), the biosynthetic enzyme for the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA, in SCN over the circadian cycle, and (5) examining the potential roles of excitatory and inhibitory amino acids in regulation of the SCN by retinal inputs carried by the optic nerve. This project involves both individual and interactive research projects at the University of Illinois and the USAF School of Aerospace Medicine. Brain slice, Circadian rhythm, Electrophysiology, Excitatory amino acids, Glutamic acid decarboxylase, Neuropeptide Y, Nitric Oxide, Pacemaker, Serotonin. |
