Neurturin's Role in Sensory Neuron Plasticity

Primary sensory neurons are one of the major components of the peripheral nervous system and are required for collecting and transmitting information regarding the external and internal environment to the central nervous system (CNS). The cell bodies of these neurons are located in peripheral ganglia adjacent to the spinal cord and associated with cranial nerves V, VII, IX and X (cranial nerves I, II, VIII also carry sensory information but have specialized sensory organs that detect specific stimuli). Primary sensory neurons whose cells bodies are found in spinal ganglia (also called dorsal root ganglia (DRG)) have been the focus of intense scientific investigation because of their role in transmitting sensation including those associated with pain and as a model system for understanding mechanisms of development and plasticity. The studies presented in this dissertation focus on the interactions between primary sensory neurons and growth factors that regulate developmental events, as well as adult physiology. In particular, these studies examine sensory neurons that respond to the growth factor neurturin (NRTN), the majority of which innervate the epidermis.