New insight into serotonergic system of sea lamprey during development and regeneration

Abstract

Lampreys are interesting animal models for comparative neuroanatomical research and for the study of the neuronal circuitry underlying locomotion in vertebrates. Moreover, lampreys have been also established as a model organism for studies of spinal cord regeneration. In this thesis we have studied the evolution of the serotonergic system in vertebrates, the phylogeny of the serotonin receptors of lampreys and their homology with mammal receptors, the regeneration of the serotonergic system in lampreys, and the changes in the expression of serotonin receptors after spinal cord injury in a regenerating vertebrate as lamprey. The project could establish the basis to future research in the serotonergic system using the sea lamprey as an animal model and to study the molecular mechanisms that favour spinal cord regeneration after an injury in lampreys.