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Characterization of thermoregulatory efferents to the paraventricular nucleus of the rat hypothalamus
Author(s) -
McLane Virginia D.,
Griffin John D.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.25.1_supplement.1053.27
Subject(s) - hypothalamus , neuroscience , preoptic area , nucleus , soma , glutamate receptor , axon , chemistry , vasopressin , thermoregulation , biology , medicine , endocrinology , biochemistry , receptor
The paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN), as gatekeeper to temperature‐regulating hormones such as vasopressin, is a key target region for thermoregulatory efferents from the preoptic and anterior regions of the hypothalamus (POAH). Though several retrograde labeling studies have indicated a connection between the POAH and PVN, none have characterized the thermoregulatory nature of this interaction. As a first step in this process, we injected retrograde‐labeling nanoprobes into the PVN of live tissue slices and quantified labeled POAH somas. These probes are designed for selective uptake by glutamate‐releasing axon terminals, after which they diffuse rapidly to the neuron soma. This will allow for further electrophysiologic studies to identify the thermosensitivity of neurons with direct axonal connections to the PVN. This research was supported by grants from the NIH (NS053794, NS065461 & NS053794‐S1) and in part by a Howard Hughes Medical Institute grant through the Undergraduate Science Program to the College of William and Mary.