Investigating the Interplay Between Thyroid Hormones and Oxytocin in Mood Disorders

Línea de investigación

Neuroendocrine systems.

Descripción

Both thyroid hormones (THs) and oxytocin (OXT) are two hormones well-known for their roles in regulating complex mood neurobehaviors such as fear, anxiety or depression. Interestingly, in the 90s it was discovered that TH stimulates OXT transcription, however, the relationship between THs and OXT has not been further explored.

Through a series of experiments in mice, this project will assess the effects of hypothyroidism on OXT production and explore its behavioural consequences. This project will:

1. 1) Assess whether hypothyroidism decreases Oxt mRNA expression in mice. This will be done by quantitative PCR, RNAscope in situ hibridization, and possibly RNA sequencing analysis.
2. 2) Identify the specific brain regions affected by hypothyroidism with reduced OXT levels. This will be done by regular immunolabelling. In addition, this objective will require the optimisation of advanced 3D microscopy techniques, in particular multispectral large-scale single-cell resolution 3D (mLSR-3D), aiming to understand the localisation and morphology of OXT projecting immunolabelled fibres and their interactions with other neural cell types.

In addition to the methods describe above, the student will gain hands-on experience in the administration and monitoring of treatments in mice, tissue slicing using a cryostat, and RNA extraction.

This project provides an excellent opportunity to develop practical skills and contribute to research in the field of mood disorders and hormonal regulation.

Contacto

Soledad Bárez López.

Correo electrónico: sbarez@iib.uam.es.

Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas Sols-Morreale (IIBM).

Número de plazas ofertadas: 1.