Robert Lundy Jr

Biography

The hedonic, or pleasurable, properties of foodstuff is central to guiding ingestive behavior; thus, we seek out stimuli that are hedonically positive and avoid those that are negative. My lab is interested in determining the neural processes that mediate our ability to assign value to sensory stimuli. My research model--the gustatory system--has some notable advantages for studying the neural basis of hedonic value. The adequate stimuli are simple soluble chemicals, some of which have inherent positive or negative hedonic properties. This provides a benchmark against which the neural and behavioral responses to other stimuli can be judged. The behavioral response to taste stimuli vary, even reverse, depending upon internal state and experience. Finally, gustatory neurons in the pons develop not only a standard thalamocortical projection, but also project directly into the limbic system. I believe this approach is fundamental and, therefore, expected to shed light on the central mechanisms of other learned and innate motivated behaviors like substance abuse, thirst, hunger, and sex.

Research Interests

The goal of my labs current research is to determine the anatomical pathways and neurotransmitters that mediate the influence of descending forebrain projections on brainstem taste processing and ingestive behavior. Prior research has shown that taste elicited activity in the brainstem is altered by conditions that change gustatory hedonic value and consequent behavior. Descending projections from cortical and limbic system nuclei reach second and third order gustatory nuclei in the brainstem and, thus, provide an anatomical substrate for these neurophysiological effects. In fact, previous work in my lab has demonstrated that electrical stimulation of the lateral hypothalamus, central nucleus of the amygdala, and insular gustatory cortex modulates third order neuron processing of taste information. We are currently using optogenetic strategies to assess the contribution of forebrain-to-brainstem inputs on taste-guided behaviors.

Degrees and Certifications

Publications

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