Ⅰ.Study On 5-HT And 5-HT2A Receptor In Participation In Respiratory Regulation Of The Pre-B(?)tC Neurons Ⅱ.Increase In Growth-associated Protein-43 Immunoreactive Nerve Fibers In The Anterior Pituitary Of Rats Following Ovariectomy

Two parts are involved in this thesis: one part is to address 5-hydroxy tryptamine (5-HT) and 5-HT_2A receptor (5-HT_2aR) system in contribution to the regulation of neurons in the pre-Botzinger complex (pre-BotC) of the adult rats with normoxia or chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH) intervention, and the other part is to demonstrate growth-associated protein 43 (GAP-43) immunoreactive (ir) nerve fibers and their relationship with gonadotrophs in the anterior pituitary of rats following ovariectomy.I. The pre-Botzinger complex, located at the ventrolateral medulla, is thought to be the kernel of respiratory rhythmogenesis in mammals. 5-HT, an important neurotransmitter, plays a key role in the control of various sensory and motor functions via its receptors, including respiratory rhythm in the pre-BotC. However, most of the previous studies were electrophysiologic-based and lack of the basic morphological knowledge of 5-HT/5-HTR system and their relationship with neurokinin-1 receptor (NK1R), a marker of the pre-BotC neurons.In the present study, we, using immunofluorescence double-labeling and ABC combined with immuno-gold silver cytochemistry, wished to provide the...