# CHARACTERIZATION OF HORMONE-CONCENTRATING NEURONS

> **NIH NIH R01** · RUTGERS THE STATE UNIV OF NJ NEWARK · 1994 · $155,818

## Abstract

This proposal will focus on the role of estrogen receptor (ER) and
progesterone receptor (PR) containing neurons in the onset of maternal
behavior and the attendent neuroendocrine events in the maternally
responsive female rat.  Specific Aim I- Does pregnancy alter the brain's
sensitivity to steroids by induction of ER and PR in the preoptic area
(POA) and limbic system? Are these alterations at the transcriptional or
translational level? We will test whether the number and distribution of
POA and limbic neurons that contain ER and PR is altered during pregnancy
and if the amount of receptor protein or mRNA per neuron is altered.
Immunocytochemistry (ICC) with ER and PR antibodies or in situ
hybridization (or Northern blot) with probes to ER and PR mRNA will be
used.  Specific Aim II- Is the brain's sensitivity to estrogen and
progestin channeled through particular neural circuits that underlie
specific components of maternal responsiveness? Do unique efferent
projections of ER and PR neurons underlie the different components of the
maternal response including altered responsivity to chemosensory inputs,
the motor components related to nest building and retrieval, and events
related to nursing including crouching, licking and oxytocin release?
These experiments will combine retrograde neuroanatomical tracing with
ICC detection of ER and PR.  Will lesions of the specific populations of
ER and PR POA neurons that project to different functional regions alter
specific components of the maternal response? Neurotoxins will be used to
lesion specific subsets of preoptic neurons that will be defined by their
unique efferent projections and/or pregnancy altered concentration of
receptors ; behavioral impairment will be tested.  Specific Aim III- ER
and PR in neuronal populations important for maternal responsiveness
could be induced by a number of the important physiological events that
occur during the natural course of pregnancy.  These experiments will
test whether the afferent input to POA alters the induction of ER and PR
in the POA during pregnancy.  Tetrodotoxin or neurotransmitter
antagonists will be used to transiently eliminate afferent input to these
neurons; lesion of the chemosensory input carried out.  Immunoreactive
receptor protein or mRNA content and behavioral results will be examined.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 2198734
- **Project number:** 5R01HD022983-08
- **Recipient organization:** RUTGERS THE STATE UNIV OF NJ NEWARK
- **SAM.gov UEI:** T3NGNR66YK89
- **Principal Investigator:** Joan Irene Morrell
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 1994
- **Award amount:** $155,818
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1986-09-01 → 1996-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/2198734

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 2198734, CHARACTERIZATION OF HORMONE-CONCENTRATING NEURONS (5R01HD022983-08). Retrieved via MORVS 2026-10-25 from https://api.morvs.ai/grant/nih/2198734. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*