Date of Award

2017-01-01

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Department

Biological Sciences

Advisor(s)

Arshad M. Khan

Abstract

The hypothalamus is a region of the brain with exceptionally high anatomical, chemical, and functional diversity. It regulates homeostatic functions and a number of motivated behaviors impacting homeostasis, such as ingestion and reproduction; it also serves as a point of connection between the forebrain and hindbrain. An improved understanding of the chemical anatomy of this area would benefit scientists working in many neuroscientific disciplines. The work described herein contributes to a chemoarchitectural atlas of the rat hypothalamus, which will include data on the distribution of various hypothalamic neurotransmitters, and on their co-localizations and synaptic interactions. Importantly, the methodology used to generate this contribution to the atlas has been rigorously documented and discussed. Additionally, new methodologies for easily transferring mapped data between atlases have been explored, in order that the new chemoarchitectural atlas may benefit from the decades of behavioral and functional work performed in the rat hypothalamus. Finally, the beginnings of a comprehensive analysis of the differences between major brain atlases based on stereotaxic coordinates has been created.

Language

en

Provenance

Received from ProQuest

File Size

249 pages

File Format

application/pdf

Rights Holder

Claire Eugenia Wells

Share

COinS