| Outline of Final Research Achievements |
Although this study was mainly based on the UK-Japan collaboration, we would like to try forming a global research network for the purpose of technical exchanges. The advanced ultrastructural (electron microscopy; EM) analyses were performed under the supervision of Professor John F. Morris (University of Oxford, UK, Ultrastructural Neuroanatomy). In addition, analyses for CD38-related, cellular Ca2+ influx and FRET imaging were performed under the supervision of Professor Antony Galione (University of Oxford, UK, Molecular Pharmacology). Optogenetics and chemogenetics behavioral analyses were performed under the supervision of Professor Larry J. Young (Emory University, USA, Behavioral Neuroendocrinology).
In this study, we analyzed that release of oxytocin in the lumbar spinal cord is not limited to synapses, but occurs from axonal varicosities and acts by diffusion - a localized volume transmission - to reach oxytocin receptors and facilitate male sexual function.
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