Research Interest
Roles of early dietary experience, taste, hormones, and the brain in control of appetite, energy balance, and blood pressure regulation. Special focus is on plasticity, hypertension, and obesity. Analyses include behavioral, physiological, and anatomical approaches.
Current Research
- Effects of perinatal salt intake on salt appetite, blood pressure and body weight.
- Coding of information about salt in peripheral and central taste neurons.
- Neuroendocrine mechanisms of obesity- associated hypertension.
Publications
- Stratford JM, Contreras RJ. Saliva and other taste stimuli are important for gustatory processing of linoleic acid. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol. 297(4):R1162-70. (2009) PDF
- Garcia JM, Curtis KS, Contreras RJ. Behavioral and electrophysiological taste responses change after brief or prolonged dietary sodium deprivation. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol. 295(6):R1754-61. (2008) PDF
- Frank ME, Lundy RF Jr, Contreras RJ. Cracking taste codes by tapping into sensory neuron impulse traffic. Prog Neurobiol. 86(3):245-63. (2008) PDF
- Stratford JM, Curtis KS, Contreras RJ. Linoleic acid increases chorda tympani nerve responses to and behavioral preferences for monosodium glutamate by male and female rats. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol. 295(3):R764-72. (2008) PDF
- Breza JM, Curtis KS, Contreras RJ. Monosodium glutamate but not linoleic acid differentially activates gustatory neurons in the rat geniculate ganglion. Chem Senses. 32(9):833-46. (2007)
- Krause EG, Curtis KS, Markle JP, Contreras RJ. Oestrogen affects the cardiovascular and central responses to isoproterenol of female rats. J Physiol. 582(Pt 1):435-47. (2007)
- Stratford JM, Curtis KS, Contreras RJ. Chorda tympani nerve transection alters linoleic acid taste discrimination by male and female rats. Physiol Behav. 89(3):311-9. (2006)
- Curtis KS, Contreras RJ. Sex differences in electrophysiological and behavioral responses to NaCl taste. Behav Neurosci. 120(4):917-24. (2006) PDF
- Krause EG, Curtis KS, Stincic TL, Markle JP, Contreras RJ. Oestrogen and weight loss decrease isoproterenol-induced Fos immunoreactivity and angiotensin type 1 mRNA in the subfornical organ of female rats. J Physiol. 573(Pt 1):251-62. (2006)
- Dietz DM, Curtis KS, Contreras RJ. Taste, salience, and increased NaCl ingestion after repeated sodium depletions. Chem Senses. 31(1):33-41. (2006) PDF
- Breza JM, Curtis KS, Contreras RJ. Temperature modulates taste responsiveness and stimulates gustatory neurons in the rat geniculate ganglion. J Neurophysiol. 95(2):674-85. (2006) PDF
- Curtis KS, Stratford JM, Contreras RJ. Estrogen increases the taste threshold for sucrose in rats. Physiol Behav. 86(3):281-6. (2005)
- Curtis KS, Davis LM, Johnson AL, Therrien KL, Contreras RJ. Sex differences in behavioral taste responses to and ingestion of sucrose and NaCl solutions by rats. Physiol Behav. 80(5):657-64. (2004) PDF
- Curtis KS, Krause EG, Wong DL, Contreras RJ. Gestational and early postnatal dietary NaCl levels affect NaCl intake, but not stimulated water intake, by adult rats. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol. 286(6):R1043-50. (2004) PDF