- Record: found
- Abstract: not found
- Article: not found
The Parabrachial Nucleus: CGRP Neurons Function as a General Alarm
Read this article at
There is no author summary for this article yet. Authors can add summaries to their articles on ScienceOpen to make them more accessible to a non-specialist audience.
Abstract
<p class="first" id="P2">The parabrachial nucleus (PBN), which is located in the pons
and dissected by one
of the major cerebellar output tracks, is known to relay sensory information (visceral
malaise, taste, temperature, pain, itch) to forebrain structures including the thalamus,
hypothalamus and extended amygdala. The availability of mouse lines expressing Cre-recombinase
selectively in subsets of PBN neurons and of Cre-dependent viruses that allow circuit
mapping and manipulation of neuron function is beginning to reveal the connectivity
and functions of PBN’s component neurons. This review focuses on the PBN neurons that
express calcitonin gene-related protein (CGRP
<sup>PBN</sup>) that play a major role in regulating appetite and transmitting real
or potential
threat signals to the extended amygdala. The functions of other specific PBN neuronal
populations are also discussed. This review aims to encourage investigation of the
numerous unanswered questions that are becoming accessible.
</p>