Larry W. Swanson

Bio: Larry W. Swanson is an academic researcher from University of Southern California. The author has contributed to research in topics: Hypothalamus & Stria terminalis. The author has an hindex of 134, co-authored 307 publications receiving 83513 citations. Previous affiliations of Larry W. Swanson include Washington University in St. Louis & Erasmus University Rotterdam.

Brain Maps: Structure of the Rat Brain

Abstract: Foreword. I. Overview. II. On Mapping the Brain. A. What is a map? B. The rat Brain. C. On Nomenclature. D. How to use this atlas. 1. Cytoarchitecture 2. Myeloarchitecture. 3. Mapping Experimental Results. 4. Coordinate Systems. E. How the atlas was produced. 1. The Brain. 2. The Pictomicrographs. 3. The Drawings. 4. Level Selection. III. Summary of Nervous System Development (with 10 figures). IV. Atlas of the Rat Brain (73 levels, each with drawing, photo, abbreviations). V. Annotated Nomenclature Tables (tables and annotations in parallel). A. Basic Cell Groups of the Rat CNS. B. Basic Fiber Systems of the Rat CNS. C. Gross Anatomical Features of the Rat CNS. D. Gross Anatomical Features of the Rat PNS. List of Abbreviations. References. Index (including synonyms). Appendices. A. Nissl Stain Protocol. B. Stereotaxic Coordinate Grid (pull-out transparency). Legends for text figures (10 text figures 1 in color). Abbreviations for Atlas Levels 1-73.

Production of a novel neuropeptide encoded by the calcitonin gene via tissue-specific RNA processing

Abstract: Alternative processing of the RNA transcribed from the calcitonin gene appears to result in the production of a messenger RNA in neural tissue distinct from that in thyroidal 'C' cells The thyroid mRNA encodes a precursor to the hormone calcitonin whereas that in neural tissues generates a novel neuropeptide, referred to as calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) The distribution of CGRP-producing cells and pathways in the brain and other tissues suggests functions for the peptide in nociception, ingestive behaviour and modulation of the autonomic and endocrine systems The approach described here permits the application of recombinant DNA technology to analyses of complex neurobiological systems in the absence of prior structural or biological information

Distribution of androgen and estrogen receptor mRNA‐containing cells in the rat brain: An in situ hybridization study

Abstract: The distribution of cells that express mRNA encoding the androgen (AR) and estrogen (ER) receptors was examined in adult male and female rats by using in situ hybridization. Specific labeling appeared to be largely, if not entirely, localized to neurons. AR and ER mRNA-containing neurons were widely distributed in the rat brain, with the greatest densities of cells in the hypothalamus, and in regions of the telencephalon that provide strong inputs in the medial preoptic and ventromedial nuclei, each of which is thought to play a key role in mediating the hormonal control of copulatory behavior, as well as in the lateral septal nucleus, the medial and cortical nuclei of the amygdala, the amygdalohippocampal area, and the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis. Heavily labeled ER mRNA-containing cells were found in regions known to be involved in the neural control of gonadotropin release, such as the anteroventral periventricular and the arcuate nuclei, but only a moderate density of labeling for AR mRNA was found over these nuclei. In addition, clearly labeled cells were found in regions with widespread connections throughout the brain, including the lateral hypothalamus, intralaminar thalamic nuclei, and deep layers of the cerebral cortex, suggesting that AR and ER may modulate a wide variety of neural functions. Each part of Ammon's horn contained AR mRNA-containing cells, as did both parts of the subiculum, but ER mRNA appeared to be less abundant in the hippocampal formation. Moreover, AR and ER mRNA-containing cells were also found in olfactory regions of the cortex and in both the main and accessory olfactory bulbs. AR and ER may modulate nonolfactory sensory information as well since labeled cells were found in regions involved in the central relay of somatosensory information, including the mesencephalic nucleus of the trigeminal nerve, the ventral thalamic nuclear group, and the dorsal horn of the spinal cord. Furthermore, heavily labeled AR mRNA-containing cells were found in the vestibular nuclei, the cochlear nuclei, the medial geniculate nucleus, and the nucleus of the lateral lemniscus, which suggests that androgens may alter the central relay of vestibular and auditory information as well. However, of all the regions involved in sensory processing, the heaviest labeling for AR and ER mRNA was found in areas that relay visceral sensory information such as the nucleus of the solitary tract, the area postrema, and the subfornical organ. We did not detect ER mRNA in brainstem somatic motoneurons, but clearly labeled AR mRNA-containing cells were found in motor nuclei associated with the fifth, seventh, tenth, and twelfth cranial nerves. Similarly, spinal motoneurons contained AR but not ER mRNA.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Organization of Ovine Corticotropin-Releasing Factor Immunoreactive Cells and Fibers in the Rat Brain: An Immunohistochemical Study

Abstract: The distribution of corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF)-immunoreactive cells and fibers has been examined in the brains of normal adult rats, and in the brains of animals that had been pretreated wit

The Rat Brain in Stereotaxic Coordinates

Abstract: Preface. Acknowledgements. Introduction. References. List of Structures. Index of Abbreviations. Diagrams.

Principles of Neural Science

Abstract: I have developed "tennis elbow" from lugging this book around the past four weeks, but it is worth the pain, the effort, and the aspirin. It is also worth the (relatively speaking) bargain price. Including appendixes, this book contains 894 pages of text. The entire panorama of the neural sciences is surveyed and examined, and it is comprehensive in its scope, from genomes to social behaviors. The editors explicitly state that the book is designed as "an introductory text for students of biology, behavior, and medicine," but it is hard to imagine any audience, interested in any fragment of neuroscience at any level of sophistication, that would not enjoy this book. The editors have done a masterful job of weaving together the biologic, the behavioral, and the clinical sciences into a single tapestry in which everyone from the molecular biologist to the practicing psychiatrist can find and appreciate his or

Emotion Circuits in the Brain

Abstract: The field of neuroscience has, after a long period of looking the other way, again embraced emotion as an important research area. Much of the progress has come from studies of fear, and especially fear conditioning. This work has pin- pointed the amygdala as an important component of the system involved in the acqui- sition, storage, and expression of fear memory and has elucidated in detail how stimuli enter, travel through, and exit the amygdala. Some progress has also been made in understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms that underlie fear conditioning, and recent studies have also shown that the findings from experimental animals apply to the human brain. It is important to remember why this work on emotion succeeded where past efforts failed. It focused on a psychologically well-defined aspect of emo- tion, avoided vague and poorly defined concepts such as "affect," "hedonic tone," or "emotional feelings," and used a simple and straightforward experimental approach. With so much research being done in this area today, it is important that the mistakes of the past not be made again. It is also time to expand from this foundation into broader aspects of mind and behavior

How do glucocorticoids influence stress responses? Integrating permissive, suppressive, stimulatory, and preparative actions.

Abstract: The secretion of glucocorticoids (GCs) is a classic endocrine response to stress. Despite that, it remains controversial as to what purpose GCs serve at such times. One view, stretching back to the time of Hans Selye, posits that GCs help mediate the ongoing or pending stress response, either via basal levels of GCs permitting other facets of the stress response to emerge efficaciously, and/or by stress levels of GCs actively stimulating the stress response. In contrast, a revisionist viewpoint posits that GCs suppress the stress response, preventing it from being pathologically overactivated. In this review, we consider recent findings regarding GC action and, based on them, generate criteria for determining whether a particular GC action permits, stimulates, or suppresses an ongoing stressresponse or, as an additional category, is preparative for a subsequent stressor. We apply these GC actions to the realms of cardiovascular function, fluid volume and hemorrhage, immunity and inflammation, metabolism, neurobiology, and reproductive physiology. We find that GC actions fall into markedly different categories, depending on the physiological endpoint in question, with evidence for mediating effects in some cases, and suppressive or preparative in others. We then attempt to assimilate these heterogeneous GC actions into a physiological whole. (Endocrine Reviews 21: 55‐ 89, 2000)