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
1) Effects of perinatal salt intake on salt appetite, blood
pressure and body weight; 2) Coding of information about salt in peripheral
and central taste neurons; 3)Neuroendocrine mechanisms of obesity- associated
hypertension.
Selected Publications
Krause, E.G., Curtis,
K.S, Davis, L.M., Stowe, J.R., & Contreras, R.J. Estrogen
influences stimulated water intake by ovariectomized female rats.
Physiol. Behav., 79: 267-274, 2003.
Curtis, K.S., Krause,
E.G., & Contreras, R.J. Cardiovascular function and circadian
patterns in rats after area postrema lesions or prolonged food restriction.
Neurosci. Letters, 350: 46-50, 2003.
Curtis,
K.S, Davis, L.M., Johnson, A.L., Therrien, K.L., & Contreras,
R.J. Sex differences in behavioral taste responses to and ingestion
of sucrose and NaCl solutions by rats. Physiol. Behav., 80:
657-664, 2004.
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.
Contreras, RJ,
and M Meredith. Editorial. Physiol. Behav. 86: 259-260, 2005.
Curtis, KS,
JM Stratford, and RJ Contreras. Estrogen increases the taste threshold
for sucrose in rats. Physiol. Behav., 86: 281-286, 2005.
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.
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.
Curtis,
KS and Contreras, RJ. Sex differences in electrophysiological and
behavioral responses to NaCl taste. Behav. Neurosci., 120:
917-924, 2006.
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.
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. |
