The long-term objective of the current proposal is to elucidate the role of the gustatory thalamus in taste-guided behavior. The proposed research is intended to investigate the hypothesis that the gustatory thalamus is primarily involved with sophisticated preparatory, but not the consummatory, aspects of taste-guided behavior. The preparatory phase consists of complex perceptual and cognitive strategies that guide the environmental search for potential food sources; the consummatory phase (served by the hindbrain), by comparison, involves eating and drinking responses once food makes contact with the mouth. Three series of experiment will be undertaken using rats with electrophysiologically guided ibotenic acid lesions of the gustatory thalamus. The experiments of Specific Aim number 1 are intended to determine the nature of the lesion-induced higher-order associative learning deficit by examining performance on complex taste information processing tasks which similarly involve the modulation of the strength of an acquired gustatory aversion. By examining performance on instrumental contrast procedures, the research proposed in Specific Aim number 2 will determine if the gustatory thalamus functions as a general reward comparison mechanism such that lesions disrupt all forms of contrast effects involving gustatory rewards. Finally, the experiments of Specific Aim number 3 will determine if the contrast deficits found in rats with lesions of the thalamic taste area result from an underlying dysfunction of gustatory memory. The results of the research proposed in this application will significantly enhance our understanding of the information processing role(s) of the thalamic taste area of the rat.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01DC004341-02
Application #
6350570
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZRG1-IFCN-1 (01))
Program Officer
Davis, Barry
Project Start
2000-02-15
Project End
2005-01-31
Budget Start
2001-02-01
Budget End
2002-01-31
Support Year
2
Fiscal Year
2001
Total Cost
$237,642
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Illinois at Chicago
Department
Psychology
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
121911077
City
Chicago
State
IL
Country
United States
Zip Code
60612
Lin, Jian-You; Roman, Chris; Arthurs, Joe et al. (2012) Taste neophobia and c-Fos expression in the rat brain. Brain Res 1448:82-8
Lovaglio, Jamie; Lin, Jian-You; Roman, Christopher et al. (2010) Basolateral amygdala and morphine-induced taste avoidance in the rat. Physiol Behav 99:419-23
Roman, Christopher; Lin, Jian-You; Reilly, Steve (2009) Conditioned taste aversion and latent inhibition following extensive taste preexposure in rats with insular cortex lesions. Brain Res 1259:68-73
Lin, Jian-You; Roman, Christopher; St Andre, Justin et al. (2009) Taste, olfactory and trigeminal neophobia in rats with forebrain lesions. Brain Res 1251:195-203
Lin, Jian-You; Roman, Christopher; Reilly, Steve (2009) Insular cortex and consummatory successive negative contrast in the rat. Behav Neurosci 123:810-4
Lin, Jian-You; Roman, Christopher; Reilly, Steve (2009) Morphine-induced suppression of conditioned stimulus intake: effects of stimulus type and insular cortex lesions. Brain Res 1292:52-60
Roman, Christopher; Reilly, Steve (2009) Insular cortex lesions and morphine-induced suppression of conditioned stimulus intake in the rat. Behav Neurosci 123:206-11
Lin, Jian-You; Roman, Christopher; Reilly, Steve (2009) Taste-potentiated odor aversion learning in rats with lesions of the insular cortex. Brain Res 1297:135-42
Figueroa-Guzman, Yazmin; Reilly, Steve (2008) NMDA receptors in the basolateral amygdala and gustatory neophobia. Brain Res 1210:200-3
St Andre, Justin; Albanos, Katie; Reilly, Steve (2007) C-fos expression in the rat brain following lithium chloride-induced illness. Brain Res 1135:122-8

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