LAY ABSTRACT Principal Investigator: Mesce, Karen Proposal Number: IBN-9813995 The brain and nervous systems of all animals, including our own, can be greatly altered by various types of neuroactive substances. This is a familiar concept if one thinks of the effects of 'street' drugs on the brain, or the way one feels in response to a jolt of adrenaline. Both adrenaline and serotonin are known as biogenic amines. But, how do brain chemicals work to regulate the production of a particular mood or behavior? What causes specific nerve cells to release their chemicals for the production of appropriate behavior, and what are the neural targets for such chemicals? At the level of individual nerve cells, answers to such questions remain far from complete. The aim of this proposal is to understand better how the biogenic amines work to regulate nervous system function and ultimately the generation of behavior. A simple invertebrate model nervous system has been chosen for study because individual nerve cells (neurons) can be readily studied, especially ones that contain either serotonin or the adrenaline-like compound called octopamine. The electrical activity of amine-containing neurons, and their connections with target nerve cells can be followed in much more detail than is currently possible using more complex vertebrate systems. One important component of this research is based on a recent finding in Dr. Mesce's lab where it was found that the combination of two biogenic amines can result in behaviors not induced by either substance alone. Because the actions of the biogenic amines are fairly conserved across species, including humans, such studies will contribute to an understanding of how single and multiple neural chemicals can orchestrate the release of various kinds of behaviors ranging from the activation or inactivation of locomotion, alteration in motivational state, and possibly, behavioral disorders in humans.
