A5010687281- Regulation of Appetite and Obesity
- Memory and Neural Mechanisms
- Biochemical Analysis and Sensing Techniques
- Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior
- Receptor Mechanisms and Signaling
- Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior
- Eating Disorders and Behaviors
- Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research
- Stress Responses and Cortisol
- Olfactory and Sensory Function Studies
- Neural dynamics and brain function
- Hypothalamic control of reproductive hormones
- Obesity, Physical Activity, Diet
- Sleep and Wakefulness Research
- Circadian rhythm and melatonin
- Neuropeptides and Animal Physiology
- Epigenetics and DNA Methylation
- Schizophrenia research and treatment
- Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research
- Birth, Development, and Health
- Alcoholism and Thiamine Deficiency
- Prenatal Substance Exposure Effects
- Nerve injury and regeneration
- Phosphodiesterase function and regulation
- Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior
Michigan State University
2016-2025
University of Ottawa
2023
California Polytechnic State University
2019
Johns Hopkins University
2007-2015
Cardiff University
2005-2007
National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery
1995
University College London
1995
Considerable evidence implicates the basolateral amygdala (BLA) in formation of outcome representations that link cues to incentive properties reinforcers. Animals with BLA damage show impaired performance reinforcer devaluation tasks, which value food is reduced by satiation or food-toxin pairings after completion cue response training. Although intact animals spontaneously reduce their conditioned responding such procedures, lesions made before training typically do not, as evidenced...
The AMPA receptor subunit glutamate 1 (GluR1 or GluR-A) contributes to amygdala-dependent emotional learning. It remains unclear, however, what extent different amygdala pathways depend on GluR1, other subunits, for proper synaptic transmission and plasticity, whether GluR1-dependent long-term potentiation (LTP) is necessary auditory contextual fear conditioning. Here, we dissected the role of GluR1 GluR3 (GluR-C) subunits in receptor-dependent LTP conditioning using knock-out mice ( −/− )....
Guided by features of molecular, cellular, and circuit dysfunction affecting the prefrontal cortex in clinical investigations, we targeted studies a model for neuropsychiatric illness using transgenic mice expressing putative dominant-negative disrupted schizophrenia 1 (DN-DISC1). We detected marked augmentation GAPDH–seven absentia homolog Siah protein binding DISC1 mice, major hallmark nuclear GAPDH cascade that is activated response to oxidative stress. Furthermore, deficits were observed...
Abstract Behavioral impulsivity is common in various psychiatric and metabolic disorders. Here we identify a hypothalamus to telencephalon neural pathway for regulating involving communication from melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH)-expressing lateral hypothalamic neurons the ventral hippocampus subregion (vHP). Results show that both site-specific upregulation (pharmacological or chemogenetic) chronic downregulation (RNA interference) of MCH vHP increases impulsive responding rats,...
In reinforcer-selective transfer, Pavlovian stimuli that are predictive of specific outcomes bias performance toward responses associated with those outcomes. Although this phenomenon has been extensively examined in rodents, recent assessments have extended to humans. Using a stock market paradigm adults were trained associate particular symbols and currencies. During the first test, individuals showed preference for responding on actions same outcome as predicted by presented stimulus...
Actions can create preferences, increasing the value ascribed to commodities acquired at greater cost. This behavioural finding has been observed in a variety of species; however, causal factors underlying phenomenon are relatively unknown. We sought develop platform examine relationship between effort and reinforcer mice trained under demanding or lenient schedules reinforcement obtain food. In initial experiment, expenditure enhanced associated food via lasting changes its hedonic...
Abstract The orexigenic neuropeptide melanin‐concentrating hormone (MCH) is well positioned to play a key role in connecting brain reward and homeostatic systems due its synthesis hypothalamic circuitry receptor expression throughout the cortico‐striatal circuit. Here we examined whether targeted‐deletion of MCH (MCH‐1R) gene‐targeted heterozygote knockout mice (KO), or systemic treatment with pharmacological agents designed antagonise MCH‐1R C57BL/6J would disrupt two putative consequences...
A growing body of literature indicates that mediated learning techniques have specific utility for tapping into reality testing in animal models neuropsychiatric illness. In particular, recent work has shown recapitulate various endophenotypes schizophrenia are particularly vulnerable to impairments when undergoing learning. Multiple studies indicated these effects dopamine receptor 2-dependent and correlated with aberrant insular cortex (IC) activity. However, until now, the connection...
Neuronal activity regulated pentraxin (Narp) is a secreted neuronal product which clusters AMPA receptors and regulates excitatory synaptogenesis. Although Narp selectively enriched in brain, its role behavior not known. As expressed prominently limbic regions, we examined whether deletion affects performance on tasks used to assess motivational consequences of food-rewarded learning. knock-out (KO) mice were unimpaired learning simple pavlovian discriminations, instrumental lever pressing,...
Abstract Stimuli paired with reward acquire incentive properties that are important for many aspects of motivated behavior, such as feeding and drug‐seeking. Here we used a novel chemical–genetic strategy to determine the role brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) receptor TrkB, known be critical neural development plasticity, during acquisition expression positive value by cue food. We assessed cue’s learned in conditioned reinforcement task, which its ability reinforce instrumental...
The present study evaluated the proposal that mice with a targeted deletion of glutamate receptor 1 (GluR1) subunit AMPA are impaired in using an instrumental or pavlovian signal to gain access representation sensory-specific motivational properties primary reward. In experiment 1, were trained approach two goal boxes plus-maze; each box contained different reward (sucrose solution vs food pellet). After acquisition, one rewards was devalued by outcome-specific satiety procedure. Subsequent...
The orexigenic neuropeptide ghrelin is an endogeneous ligand for the growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHS-R). This orexigen expressed in both periphery and central system, including portions of mesolimbic dopaminergic circuitry that play a role affective behaviors. Here we examined pharmacological antagonism GHS-R motivational incentive learning, as reflected Pavlovian-to-instrumental transfer (PIT). Furthermore, it currently unclear whether previous effects on food intake are mediated...