Central neural pathways mediating psychological stress-induced autonomic responses

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26713009
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (A)
• Allocation Type: Partial Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Environmental physiology(including physical medicine and nutritional physiology)
• Research Institution: Nagoya University (2015-2016); Kyoto University (2014)
• Principal Investigator: NAKAMURA Kazuhiro 名古屋大学, 医学(系)研究科(研究院), 教授 (00548521)
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: 心理ストレス / 心因性発熱 / ストレス疾患 / 交感神経 / 中枢神経回路 / 体温調節 / 頻脈 / 情動

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Sympathetic responses to psychological stressors, such as increases in body temperature, blood pressure and heart rate, are driven by the central neural pathway from the dorsomedial hypothalamus to the medulla oblongata. In this study, I found a forebrain region that provides stress signals to the dorsomedial hypothalamus by performing experiments with neuroanatomical, in vivo physiological and optogenetic techniques in rats. The results from the experiments suggest a novel forebrain neural pathway driving sympathetic responses to psychological stressors.

Free Research Field

環境生理学