Date Thesis Awarded
5-2011
Access Type
Honors Thesis -- Access Restricted On-Campus Only
Degree Name
Bachelors of Science (BS)
Department
Neuroscience
Advisor
John D. Griffin
Committee Members
Matthew J. Wawersik
Joshua A. Burk
Abstract
The paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN) is the gatekeeper to temperature-modulating hormones such as vasopressin. Indeed, it is in theory a key target region for thermoregulatory efferents of the preoptic area of the anterior hypothalamus (POAH). Although several retrograde labeling studies have identified a connection between the POAH and PVN, none have directly characterized the thermoregulatory nature of this interaction. We will identify the phenotype of these connections by injecting retrograde-labeling nanoprobes into the PVN of live tissue slices and quantified labeled POAH somas. These probes are designed for selective uptake by glutamate-releasing axon terminals, after which they diffuse rapidly to the neuron soma. Our results indicate that glutamatergic neurons do project from the POAH to the PVN. This technique will allow for further electrophysiologic studies to identify the thermosensitivity of neurons with a known connectivity and phenotype.
Recommended Citation
McLane, Virginia D., "Characterization of Thermoregulatory Efferents to the Paraventricular Nucleus of the Rat Hypothalamus" (2011). Undergraduate Honors Theses. William & Mary. Paper 394.
https://scholarworks.wm.edu/honorstheses/394
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
Comments
Thesis is part of Honors ETD pilot project, 2008-2013. Migrated from Dspace in 2016.