Objective
The vertebrate brain integrates information and governs the body via neural and endocrine communication systems. Because these systems should not convey conflicting messages, they must communicate with each other. The pituitary gland holds a key position in this integration, as it converts neural and neuroendocrine signals from the brain into endocrine signals.
In this way, it controls a multitude of physiological processes, including the stress response. Malfunctions in the stress response communication hierarchy are involved in several diseases. To understand neuroendocrine integration, it is necessary to identify signal origins and receivers. At the level of the pituitary gland, such communication can best be studied in (teleost) fish, because, in contrast to mammals, the pituitary gland in fish is directly innervated by hypothalamic neurons.
This project aims to map structural and functional relations between brain and pituitary cells in the stress response and to determine at what levels in the communication hierarchy signals are modulated to alter pituitary responses. The study focuses on fish brain slice preparations that contain both the hypothalamus and the pituitary gland, with their connections intact. First, the input and internal organisation of the hypothalamic nucleus preopticus (NPO), which projects the stress hormone CRH to the pituitary gland, will be neuroanatomically analysed.
Next, CRH-cells will be electrophysiologically characterised by intracellular recordings, and labelled with biocytin to determine the contact types of CRH-cells on their pituitary gland target cells. Finally, the response of NPO CRH-cells to electrical and pharmacological stimulation will be assessed using electrophysiological techniques, and the subsequent pituitary endocrine output will be measured.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques.
- medical and health sciencesclinical medicineendocrinology
- natural sciencesbiological scienceszoologymammalogy
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Call for proposal
FP6-2002-MOBILITY-11
See other projects for this call
Funding Scheme
ERG - Marie Curie actions-European Re-integration GrantsCoordinator
9101 NIJMEGEN
Netherlands