The Organization of the Suprachiasmatic Circadian Pacemaker of the Rat and Its Regulation by Neurotransmitters and Modulators
Abstract
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 the 3 1/2 years of this award has been made in: (1) 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 involvement of glutamate/nitric oxide signal transduction in mediating light entrainment of the SCN through retinal inputs. This project involves both individual and interactive research projects at the University of Illinois and the USAF School of Aerospace Medicine.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Feb 02, 1994
- Accession Number
- ADA277324
Entities
People
- Dong Chen
- Jian Ding
- Lia Faiman
- Martha U. Gillette
- Steven Demarco
Organizations
- University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign