Research in this laboratory focuses on the mechanisms of sensory processing in the gustatory system. We are examining the basic neurobiology of the first relay in the taste pathway - the nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS) - using whole cell recording in an in vitro brain slice preparation. We have defined the neuropharmacological properties of the NTS neurons and examined the properties of the afferent synapse including synaptic mechanisms of afferent convergence. Experiments are in progress to characterize synaptic plasticity in the NTS and to study NTS inhibitory mechanisms. To study response properties of taste buds over a long time period we have developed a chronic recording electrode array that we implant between the cut ends of a gustatory nerve. These studies will contribute basic information about the stability of the afferent response during processes of taste cell turnover and synaptic changes.

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