부산대학교 도서관

ABSTRACT: The postnatal period in mammals represents a developmental epoch of significant change in the autonomic nervous system (ANS). This study focuses on postnatal development of the area postrema, a crucial ANS structure that regulates temperature, breathing, and satiety, among other activities. We find that the human area postrema undergoes significant developmental changes during postnatal development. To characterize these changes further, we used transgenic mouse reagents to delineate neuronal circuitry. We discovered that, although a well-formed ANS scaffold exists early in embryonic development, the area postrema shows a delayed maturation. Specifically, postnatal days 0–7 in mice show no significant change in area postrema volume or synaptic input from PHOX2B-derived neurons. In contrast, postnatal days 7–20 show a significant increase in volume and synaptic input from PHOX2B-derived neurons. We conclude that key ANS structures show unexpected dynamic developmental changes during postnatal development. These data provide a basis for understanding ANS dysfunction and disease predisposition in premature and postnatal humans. J. Comp. Neurol. 524:1259–1269, 2016. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. : The area postrema is a major integrator of the autonomic nervous system (ANS). At birth, mammals show ANS immaturity resulting in generalized dysautonomia. By combining modern and traditional neuroanatomical tools, the authors demonstrate that the development of the area postrema dynamically changes during postnatal development in mice and humans. These changes include a significant increase in size and increase in innervation during the postnatal epoch.(Figure is included in full-text article.)