| First Author | Mukai Y | Year | 2020 |
| Journal | Sci Rep | Volume | 10 |
| Issue | 1 | Pages | 13639 |
| PubMed ID | 32788592 | Mgi Jnum | J:299280 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:6457766 | Doi | 10.1038/s41598-020-70481-5 |
| Citation | Mukai Y, et al. (2020) Identification of substances which regulate activity of corticotropin-releasing factor-producing neurons in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus. Sci Rep 10(1):13639 |
| abstractText | The stress response is a physiological system for adapting to various internal and external stimuli. Corticotropin-releasing factor-producing neurons in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN-CRF neurons) are known to play an important role in the stress response as initiators of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. However, the mechanism by which activity of PVN-CRF neurons is regulated by other neurons and bioactive substances remains unclear. Here, we developed a screening method using calcium imaging to identify how physiological substances directly affect the activity of PVN-CRF neurons. We used acute brain slices expressing a genetically encoded calcium indicator in PVN-CRF neurons using CRF-Cre recombinase mice and an adeno-associated viral vector under Cre control. PVN-CRF neurons were divided into ventral and dorsal portions. Bath application of candidate substances revealed 12 substances that increased and 3 that decreased intracellular calcium concentrations. Among these substances, angiotensin II and histamine mainly increased calcium in the ventral portion of the PVN-CRF neurons via AT1 and H1 receptors, respectively. Conversely, carbachol mainly increased calcium in the dorsal portion of the PVN-CRF neurons via both nicotinic and muscarinic acetylcholine receptors. Our method provides a precise and reliable means of evaluating the effect of a substance on PVN-CRF neuronal activity. |
