Mechanisms of autonomic nervous system development and responses to environmental stresses

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25860177
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Environmental physiology(including physical medicine and nutritional physiology)
• Research Institution: The University of Tokyo
• Principal Investigator: Asaka Tomomi 東京大学, 新領域創成科学研究科, 特任研究員 (90555707)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: メダカ / 発達 / 自律神経系 / 心臓

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study was focused on the evaluation of activity of the cardiac autonomic nervous system using medaka as a model organism and analyzed the acquirement process of the cardiac autonomic nerve function, establishment of the condition of environmental disturbance and its analysis. Development of cardiac autonomic nervous function starts from the hatching stage and the activity grows in one month old larvae. Low temperature stimulation caused arrhythmia in some medaka strains of heart beat initiation period indicating this cold sensitivity is attribute to single gene. Parasympathetic nervous activity decreased after the continuous photoperiod, however, radiation stimulation did not cause the abnormal heartbeat using the environmental disturbance system. Furthermore, establishment and preliminary analysis of the blood and the 3D analysis of tissues suggests usefulness of medaka as model organism.

Free Research Field

環境生理学