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In: Physiology and Behavior PMID: PMC8041470 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2020.113234 Abstract: The lateral hypothalamic area (LHA) is a heterogeneous brain structure extensively studied for its potent role in regulating energy balance. The anatomical and molecular diversity of the LHA permits the orchestration of responses to energy sensing cues from the brain and periphery. Two of the primary […]
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Pub - Dopamine and Learning / Pub - Learning and Motivation / Publications 2021-04-29
READ MOREIn: Learning & Memory PMID: 33723029 DOI: 10.1101/lm.053082.120 Abstract: The dopamine system has been implicated in decision-making particularly when associated with effortful behavior. We examined acute optogenetic stimulation of dopamine cells in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) as mice engaged in an effort-based decision-making task. Tyrosine hydroxylase-Cre mice were injected with Cre-dependent ChR2 or eYFP control […]
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News / Pub - Ingestive Behavior / Pub - Neuropsychiatric Illness / Publications 2020-01-01
READ MOREIn: Physiology PMID: 31799907 DOI: 10.1152/physiol.00013.2019 Abstract: Ovarian hormones are associated with risk for binge eating in women. Recent animal and human studies suggest that food-related reward processing may be one set of neurobiological factors that contribute to these relationships, but additional studies are needed to confirm and extend findings.
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In: Nature Communications PMID: 31664021 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-12895-y Abstract: Behavioral impulsivity is common in various psychiatric and metabolic disorders. Here we identify a hypothalamus to telencephalon neural pathway for regulating impulsivity involving communication from melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH)-expressing lateral hypothalamic neurons to the ventral hippocampus subregion (vHP). Results show that both site-specific upregulation (pharmacological or chemogenetic) and […]
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News / Pub - Dopamine and Learning / Pub - Neuropsychiatric Illness / Publications 2019-05-31
READ MOREIn: Schizophrenia Bulletin PMID: 31150554 DOI: 10.1093/schbul/sbz043 Abstract: Impairments in reality testing are core features of numerous neuropsychiatric conditions. However, relatively few animal models have been developed to assess this critical facet of neuropsychiatric illness, thus impeding our understanding of the underlying central systems and circuits. Using mice in which dominant-negative Disrupted-in-Schizophrenia-1 is expressed throughout […]
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In: Physiology & Behavior PMID: 30858100 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2019.03.005 Abstract: Binge eating is characterized by the consumption of a large amount of palatable food in a short period of time and is a core feature of many eating disorders. Patients with eating disorders are also known to display impairments in inhibitory control, cognition and decision-making, which […]
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In: Alcoholism Clinical & Experimental Research PMID: 30320886 DOI: 10.1111/acer.13905 ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Recent reviews have highlighted the potential use of blood-based methylation biomarkers as diagnostic and prognostic tools of current and future alcohol use and addiction. Due to the substantial overlap that often exists between methylation patterns across different tissues, including blood and brain, blood-based […]
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Pub - Ingestive Behavior / Pub - Learning and Motivation / Publications 2018-02-01
READ MOREIn: Learning and Motivation PMID: 30082927 DOI: 10.1016/j.lmot.2017.07.001 Abstract: In the current study, groups of mice were trained with either short (20 s) or long (120 s) conditioned stimulus (CS) durations associated with different rates of sucrose unconditioned stimulus (US) delivery, to examine whether different behavioral forms of cue-potentiated feeding in sated mice would be […]
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Pub - Ingestive Behavior / Pub - Learning and Motivation / Publications / Uncategorized 2017-07-03
READ MOREIn: International Journal of Developmental Neuroscience PMID: 28684308 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijdevneu.2017.06.012 Abstract: Ingestive behavior is controlled by multiple distinct peripheral and central physiological mechanisms that ultimately determine whether a particular food should be accepted or avoided. As rodents consume a fluid they display stereotyped rhythmic tongue movements, and by analyzing the temporal distribution of pauses of […]
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In: Behavioural Brain Research PMID: 27984049 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2016.10.043 Abstract: Dopamine is known to influence motivational processes, however the precise role of this neurotransmitter remains a contentious issue. In the current study we sought to further characterize dopamine signaling in reward-based decision-making and consummatory behavior in mice, via lateral ventricle infusion of the dopamine D2 receptor […]