SGER: Microglial Regulation of the Neuroendocrine Stress Response

Suny At Binghamton, Binghamton NY

Investigators

Abstract

While neurons were once considered to be the primary functional cells of the nervous system, it has become increasingly clear in recent years that other cell types such as astrocytes and microglia powerfully modulate the activity of neurons. For instance, microglia have always been viewed as passive cells in the brain that modulate neuronal activity only when challenged by an inflammatory stimulus or traumatic brain injury. This project challenges the existing notion that microglia reside in a quiescent state in the normal brain, suggesting that the principal biological response to stress is under tight regulatory control by microglia. This project implicates microglia as a novel cellular target for regulation of the neuroendocrine stress response, providing a role for microglia in negative feedback mechanism. The project examines the role of specific brain structures where microglia are thought to exert inhibitory control over the neuroendocrine stress response and examines one potential cellular mechanism by which microglia may regulate thse neuroendocrine stress responses. The project uses a combination of biochemical and anatomical procedures to address these issues. Together, these projects will forge an altogether new understanding of how diverse cell groups interact within the central nervous system and is expected to produce a paradigm-shift in how investigators view basic regulation of the stress response. This project provides a unique opportunity for training of undergraduate and graduate students from a diverse range of backgrounds (50% women, 33% minority). The laboratory environment is state-of-the-art and contains extensive resources devoted specifically to promote training and networking for careers in science.