.) This application will examine the hypothesis that during the altered inertial environment of orbital flight, plasticity and adaptive changes take place within the maculae of the vestibular organs. The flight portion of the study will involve electrophysiological recordings from the vestibular nerve of the rat in response to (sinusoidal) linear accelerations along unspecified axes. In parallel, maculas will be harvested from other animals for morphological and anatomical examination, including (a) serial reconstruction of the terminals and receptive fields of selected macular regions using electron-microscopic techniques, (b) changes in glutamate receptor gene expression at macular synapses, (c) changes in glutamate receptor protein in macular hair cells, and (d) changes in the otoconial mass, performed using scanning EM. The results from these experiments will be incorporated into a developing model of the peripheral vestibular system.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
Type
Research Project--Cooperative Agreements (U01)
Project #
5U01NS033448-04
Application #
2735652
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (SSS (S5))
Program Officer
Heetderks, William J
Project Start
1995-09-30
Project End
1999-06-30
Budget Start
1998-07-01
Budget End
1999-06-30
Support Year
4
Fiscal Year
1998
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
Nasa - Ames Research Center
Department
Type
DUNS #
009231648
City
Moffett Field
State
CA
Country
United States
Zip Code
94035