Elucidation of neural mechanisms for negative emotion and its alteration under the pathological conditions: Study with focusing on the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26290020
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Partial Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Neurochemistry/Neuropharmacology
• Research Institution: Hokkaido University
• Principal Investigator: MINAMI Masabumi 北海道大学, 薬学研究科(研究院), 教授 (20243040)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): KANEDA Katsuyuki 金沢大学, 医薬保健研究域, 教授 (30421366) ; IDE Soichiro 公益財団法人東京都医学総合研究所, 精神行動医学研究分野, 主席研究員 (30389118) ; YAMANAKA Akihiro 名古屋大学, 環境医学研究所, 教授 (60323292)
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: 脳・神経 / 薬理学 / 情動 / 不安 / 抑うつ / 分界条床核 / 扁桃体 / 腹側被蓋野

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Mammals including humans are thought to have acquired and evolved neuronal mechanisms for negative emotion, such as depression and anxiety, as a biological defense system that protects themselves by suppressing their activities and raising vigilance against the surroundings, when they are in dangerous condition. Therefore, in order to understand the neuronal mechanisms of depressive disorders and anxiety disorders, it is necessary to clarify the neuronal mechanisms for negative emotion from the viewpoint as a biological defense system and to analyze the changes of such mechanisms in patients and disease model animals. We have been studying with focusing on the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST), and demonstrated that activation of BNST neurons by CRF suppresses the dopaminergic neurons in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) to produce pain-induced negative emotion, and that neuroplastic alteration in the BNST induces sustained suppression of VTA dopaminergic neurons.

Free Research Field

神経薬理学