BDNF in developing aortic baroreceptors & its role in the dendritic morphogenesis of neurons from the Nucleus Tractus Solitarius

........................................................................................................................................ vii Chapter 1: Introduction .................................................................................................................. 1 Overview of the thesis. ...................................................................................................... 2 Chapter 2: Review of the Literature .............................................................................................. 4 Cardiorespiratory control pathways: the sensory component. ....................................... 4 Figure 2‐1: Anatomy of the afferent component of cardiorespiratory control pathways. ............................................................................................................................ 8 The aortic baroreflex. ........................................................................................................ 9 Brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). ..................................................................... 12 Figure 2‐2: Neutrophins and their receptors. ................................................................ 14 BDNF and its receptors in the sensory portion of autonomic reflex pathways. ............. 16 Figure 2‐3: BDNF and neurotrophin receptor expression in visceral afferents and second‐order NTS neurons. .............................................................................................. 18 Dendritic morphology. .................................................................................................... 19 Glia, with an emphasis on astrocytes. ............................................................................. 24 Chapter 3: ...................................................................................................................................... 31 Brain‐derived neurotrophic factor in arterial baroreceptor pathways: Implications for activity‐ dependent plasticity at baroafferent synapses. .......................................................................... 31