Neurotransmitters in the defense response

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 24390057
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Partial Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Environmental physiology (including Physical medicine and Nutritional physiology)
• Research Institution: Kagoshima University
• Principal Investigator: KUWAKI Tomoyuki 鹿児島大学, 医歯(薬)学総合研究科, 教授 (80205260)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): OOTSUKA Youichirou 鹿児島大学, 大学院医歯学総合研究科, 客員研究員 (70302403)
• Research Collaborator: KASHIWADANI Hideki ; KUSUMOTO Ikue ; ZHANG Wei ; MIYATA Kohei ; MATSUMOTO Ami ; IKOMA Yoko ; KONO Yu ; SAMESHIMA Kohei ; KUBO Rintaro ; KAWATAKI Masanori ; USHIKAI Jumpei ; IWAMOTO Yoshiyuki ; SAKO Haruka ; ISHIKAWA Sodemi ; SUNANAGA Jinko ; TAKAHASHI Yoshiko ; KUROKI Chiharu ; YAMAGUCHI Keiji ; FUTATSUKI Takahiro ; TASHIRO Shogo ; KANMURA Yuichi ; YAMAGUCHI Ran ; NAGATA Keiichiro ; KAJIYA Katsuko ; SAKURAI Takeshi ; YAMANAKA Akihiro
• Project Period (FY): 2012-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: 防衛反応 / オレキシン / 小胞体グルタミン酸輸送体-2 / 遺伝子改変マウス / 体温調節 / ストレス / 発熱物質 / 低温環境

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We examined possible roles of neurotransmitter (modulator) candidates contained in the hypothalamic orexin neurons during the defense response against stressors. We performed pharmacological experiment using blockers for the putative cotransmitters and physiological experiment using genetically engineered model mice (orexin knockout mice, orexin neuron-ablated mice, orexin neuron-specific vesicular glutamate transporter-2 knockout mice). We found that glutamate in the orexin neurons play a pivotal role in stress-induced hyperthermia, especially in its early phase, although glutamate was not involved in the basal control of the vigilance state and body temperature. Importance of glutamate in the stress-induced hyperthermia was evident in all the type of stressors so far tested.

Free Research Field

環境生理学、神経生理学