The research proposed in this application for an ADAMHA Level I Research Scientist Development Award will accomplish several objectives including the acquisition of knowledge relevant to mental health research and the development of the scientific expertise of the applicant. The amygdala is an area of brain which has a rich supply of neuropeptides, a major role in the regulation of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal function, and potential importance in the pathophysiology of depressive disorders. In addition, it appears to be the means by which highly processed cortical information is transmitted to the hypothalamus. The proposed research will use immunocytochemical techniques to examine in primates the distribution of four neuropeptides, corticotropin-releasing factor, vasoactive intestinal polypeptide, cholecystokinin and somatostatin, in neurons of the amygdala and cortico-amygdaloid and amygdalo-hypothalamic pathways. Although there have been some studies of these peptides in rat amygdala, there is no knowledge of their distribution in the more highly differentiated nuclei of the primate amygdala. The proposed studies will provide an anatomic basis for future studies of the functional role of these peptides in both hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal regulation and the pathophysiology of depression.
