2010 Fiscal Year Final Research Report
Responses of neurotransmitter release in the brain to somatosensory stimulation, and its relation with emotion and autonomic responses
| Project/Area Number |
20590216
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Section | 一般 |
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| Research Field |
General physiology
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| Research Institution | International University of Health and Welfare |
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Principal Investigator |
KUROSAWA Mieko 国際医療福祉大学, 薬学部, 教授 (30178131)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2008 – 2010
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| Keywords | 触刺激 / 神経伝達物質 / ドーパミン / 側坐核 / セロトニン / 扁桃体 |
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| Research Abstract |
Tactile stimulation produces psychological effects such as relaxation, the alleviation of anxiety and depression, and the reduction of lassitude. That the psychological effects evoked by touch therapy involve stimulation of dopamine or serotonin release is suggested by their increased levels in the urine following tactile skin stimulation ; however, there is no direct evidence of their increased release in the brain. In the present study, we have shown that the tactile stimulation increases dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens, the nucleus known to play a key role for producing a pleasant feeling, whereas the same stimulation decreases serotonin release in the central nucleus of amygdala, the nucleus known to participate in the anxiety.
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