Dr. Robert J. Contreras
Michigan State University, 1975
Associate Dean, College of Arts & Sciences
James C. Smith Professor of Psychology & Neuroscience
Roles of early dietary experience, taste, hormones, and the brain in control of appetite, energy balance, and blood pressure regulation; plasticity, hypertension, and obesity.
Selected Publications
Articles
Wu W, Mast TG, Ziembko C, Breza JM, Contreras RJ. Statistical analysis and decoding of neural activity in the rodent geniculate ganglion using a metric-based inference system. PLOS ONE, 8(5): e65439, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0065439.2013. PDF
Lu B, Breza JM, Nikonov AA, Paedae AB, and Contreras RJ. Leptin increases temperature-dependent chorda tympani nerve responses to sucrose in mice. Physiol. Behav., 107: 533-539, 2012. First published 12 April 2012; 10.1016/j.physbeh.2012.04.018. PDF
Breza, JM and Contreras, RJ.Acetic acid modulates salt taste in rats. J. Neurophysiol.,108: 2405-2418, 2012. First published 15 August 2012; doi: 10.1152/jn.00114.2012. PDF
Smith, KR, Treesukosol, Y, Paedae, AB, Contreras, RJ, Spector, AC. The contribution of the TRPV1 channel to salt taste quality in mice as assessed by conditioned taste aversion generalization and chorda tympani nerve responses. Am. J. Physiol. Regul. Integr. Comp. Physiol., 303: R1195-205, 2012. First published 10 October 2012; doi: 10.1152/ajpregu.00154.2012. PDF
Breza, JM & RJ Contreras. Anion size modulates salt taste in rats. J. Neurophysiol. 107:1632-1648, 2012. PDF
Lawhern, V, Nikonov, AA, Wu, W, and Contreras RJ. Spike rate and spike timing contributions to coding taste quality information in rat periphery. Frontiers in Integrative Neurosci. doi:10.3389/fnint.2011.00018. PDF
Breza, JM, Nikonov, AA, and Contreras, RJ. Response latency to lingual taste stimulation distinguishes neuron types within the geniculate ganglion. J. Neurophysiol., 103: 1771-1784, 2010. PDF
Stratford, JM & Contreras, RJ. Saliva and other taste stimuli are important for gustatory processing of linoleic acid. Am. J. Physiol. Regulatory Integrative Comp. Physiol., 297: R1162-R1170, 2009. PDF
Garcia, JM, Curtis, KS, and Contreras, RJ. Behavioral and electrophysiological taste responses change following brief or prolonged dietary sodium deprivation. Am. J. Physiol. Regulatory Integrative Comp. Physiol., 295: R1754-R1761, 2008. PDF
Frank, ME, Lundy, RF, and Contreras, RJ. Cracking Taste Codes by Tapping into Sensory Neuron Impulse Traffic. Progress in Neurobiology, 86: 245-263, 2008. PDF
Stratford, JM, Curtis, KS, and Contreras, RJ. Linoleic acid increases chorda tympani nerve responses to and behavioral preferences for monosodium glutamate by male and female rats. Am J Physiol Regulatory Integrative Comp Physiol 295: 764-772, 2008. PDF
Krause, EG, Curtis, KS, TL, Markle, JP, and Contreras, RJ. Oestrogen affects the cardiovascular and central responses to isoproterenol of female rats. J. Physiol. 582.1: 435-447, 2007. PDF
Breza, JM, Curtis, KS, and Contreras, RJ. Monosodium glutamate but not linoleic acid differentially activates gustatory neurons of the rat geniculate ganglion. Chem. Senses, 32: 833-846, 2007. PDF
Breza, J.M., Curtis, K.S., & Contreras, R. J. Temperature Modulates Taste Responsiveness and Stimulates Gustatory Neurons in the Rat Geniculate Ganglion. J. Neurophysiol 95: 674-685, 2006. PDF
Dietz, D.M., Curtis, K.S., & Contreras, R. J. Taste, Salience, and Increased NaCl Ingestion after Repeated Sodium Depletions. Chem. Senses 31: 33-41, 2006. PDF
Curtis, KS and Contreras, RJ. Sex differences in electrophysiological and behavioral responses to NaCl taste. Behav. Neurosci., 120: 917-924, 2006. PDF
Krause, EG, Curtis, KS, Stincic, TL, Markle, JP, and 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: 251-262, 2006. PDF
Stratford, JM, Curtis, KS, and Contreras, RJ. Chorda tympani nerve transection alters linoleic acid taste discrimination by male and female rats. Physiol. Behav., 89: 311-319, 2006. PDF
Curtis, KS, JM Stratford, and RJ Contreras. Estrogen increases the taste threshold for sucrose in rats. Physiol. Behav., 86: 281-286, 2005. PDF
Curtis, K.S., Krause, E.G., Wong, D. L., & Contreras, R.J. Gestational and early postnatal NaCl levels affect NaCl intake, but not stimulated water intake, by adult rats. Am. J. Physiol. Regul. Integ. Comp. Physiol., 286: R1043-R1050, 2004.