健康与遗传心理学研究室知识库

为了研究小鼠利手行为的分子机制及其相关行为。本实验筛选了最为典型的左利手小鼠和右利手小鼠。获取了其运动皮层的RNA进行了表达谱芯片扫描。通过比较左右利手小鼠各自左右两侧运动皮层中基因的表达差异，获得了一系列的候选基因。其中左利手小鼠得到15个，右利手小鼠获得106个。然后在这些候选基因中挑选了与离子通道受体有关的基因进行了验证，最后验证发现GABA的A型受体mRNA在右利手小鼠的运动皮层中有不对称表达，其右侧皮层的表达量高于左侧皮层的表达量。而在左利手小鼠的运动皮层中，其不存在不对称表达。然后我们进一步测试了小鼠有关运动、抑郁以及焦虑样的行为，发现右利手小鼠在高架十字迷宫测试中于开放臂的探索时间与左利手小鼠相比明显较低。同时通过长期单侧取食训练，我们发现右利手小鼠的神经可塑性更强，对于训练更为敏感，而左利手小鼠大部分并不受长期取食训练的影响。以上结果都反应了右利手小鼠和左利手小鼠于分子，行为以及神经可塑性上存有较大差异，并且我们发现这种差异并不像传统观念中所认为的左右利手是类似镜像关系。提醒我们左右利手行为的成因可能不是简单脑内某结构或分子不对称的结果。

In the present study, for investigating the molecular mechanism and related behavior in different handedness of mice, the most typical left and right handed mice were screened to extract the RNA from their motor cortex which used for microarray assay. By comparing the gene expression between left and right motor cortex from different handed mouse respectively, a series of candidate genes have been got. There are 15 in left-handed mouse and 106 in right-handed mice. We selected some ion channel receptor genes to verify and finally confirmed that GABA A-receptor mRNA in the right-handed mice is asymmetric expressed that the expression in the right cortex is higher than the expression in the left cortex. And its expression is not asymmetry in the left-handed mice. We further tested the mice on locomotor activity, depression and anxiety-like behavior, and found that right-handed mice in the elevated plus maze test spent significantly less time in exploring the open arm than left-handed mice. At the same time, we found that right-handed mouse has stronger neural plasticity, and is more sensitive for the long-term unilateral feeding training; and most of the left-handed mice are not impacted by the training. These results are reflected there have big differences between rights and left handed mice in the molecular and behavioral level. And it is not perceived as tradition that the left and right handed are mirroring. These data remind us that the handedness may not an outcome of the simply asymmetry of one structure or molecular in the brain.