Neuronal network dynamics in reponse to mental stress

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15H05569
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (A)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Research Field: Neurophysiology / General neuroscience
• Research Institution: The University of Tokyo
• Principal Investigator: Sasaki Takuya 東京大学, 大学院薬学系研究科(薬学部), 助教 (70741031)
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: 中枢末梢連関 / ストレス応答 / 大脳皮質 / 局所場電位 / 心電図

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Chronic social defeat is a widely used animal model with high etiological and discriminative validity that evokes profound behavioral phenotypes. In this study, we examined how social defeat stress alters physiological activity in freely moving rats. Our recording system integrates local field potential signals from the cortex, heartbeat signals, and skeletal muscle signals into an electrical interface board that is mounted on an animal’s head. After receiving a physical attack from the resident rat, the heart rate of the intruder animals was transiently increased and then decreased when they started to show freezing behavior. During the freezing period, brain local field potential power was prominently reduced. The evidence will advance the understanding of the neurophysiological correlate of mind-body associations during mental stress exposure.

Free Research Field

神経生理学