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Articles by Ranier Gutierrez
A gut sense for a microbial pattern regulates feeding - Nature
Abstract To coexist with its resident microorganisms, the host must have a sense to adjust its behaviour in response to them. In the intestine, a sense for nutrients transduced to the brain through neuroepithelial circuits guides appetitive choices1,2,3,4,5. However, a sense that allows the host to respond in real time to stimuli arising from resident gut microorganisms remains to be uncovered.
Sex-specific effects of appetite suppressants and stereotypy in rats
Abstract This study investigated the sex-specific effects of commonly prescribed appetite suppressants on body weight and the manifestation of motor side effects, specifically stereotypy. Employing video recordings and DeepLabCut (DLC) for precise behavioral quantification, we analyzed stereotypy, defined as purposeless, repetitive motor behaviors, in male and female rats. Under control (saline) conditions, male rats exhibited a greater propensity for weight gain compared to females.
Nucleus accumbens D2-expressing neurons: Balancing reward and licking disruption through rhythmic optogenetic stimulation
Abstract Dopamine D1 receptor expressing neurons in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) are known to be critical for processing reward and regulating food intake. However, the role of D2 expressing neurons in this region remains less understood. This study employed optogenetic manipulations to investigate the role of NAc D2 expressing neurons in reward processing and sucrose consumption.
Nucleus accumbens D2-expressing neurons: Balancing reward and licking disruption through rhythmic optogenetic stimulation
Abstract Dopamine D1 receptor-expressing neurons in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) are known to be critical for processing reward and regulating food intake. However, the role of D2-expressing neurons in this region remains less understood. This study employed optogenetic manipulations to investigate the role of NAc D2-expressing neurons in reward processing and sucrose consumption.
Sequential and dynamic coding of water-sucrose categorization in rat gustatory cortices
Abstract The gustatory system enables our conscious perception of sweetness, allowing us to distinguish sweet solutions from water. However, the neural mechanisms underlying this categorization process in rats remain poorly understood. We addressed this question by designing a novel sucrose categorization task in which rats classified varying sucrose concentrations against water.
The flow of reward information through neuronal ensembles in the accumbens
Abstract Reward information flows through neuronal ensembles in the nucleus accumbens shell (NAcSh), influencing decision-making. We investigated this phenomenon by training rats in a self-guided probabilistic choice task while recording single-unit activity in the NAcSh. We found that rats dynamically adapted their choices based on an internal representation of reward likelihood. Neuronal ensembles in the NAcSh act as dynamic modules to process different aspects of reward-guided behavior.
Sequential and dynamic coding of water-sucrose categorization in rat gustatory cortices
Abstract The gustatory system underlies our conscious perception of sweetness and allows us to distinguish a sweet solution from plain water. However, the neural mechanisms in gustatory cortices that enable rats to differentiate sweetness from water remain elusive. In this study, we designed a novel sucrose categorization task in which rats classified water from a gradient of sucrose solutions.
The flow of reward information through neuronal ensembles in the accumbens
Abstract The flow of reward information through neuronal ensembles in the nucleus accumbens shell (NAcSh) and its influence on decision-making remain poorly understood. We investigated these questions by training rats in a self-guided probabilistic choice task while recording single-unit activity in the NAcSh. We found that rats dynamically adapted their choices based on an internal representation of reward likelihood.
Exploring the relationship between nature sounds, connectedness to nature, mood and willingness to buy sustainable food: A retail field experiment
Retailers often use sound to influence consumer decision making (Areni and Kim, 1993, Garlin and Owen, 2006, Milliman, 1982, Soars, 2009, Yalch and Spangenberg, 1990). Sounds representing nature (e.g. birds, crickets, ocean breezes and cows) have recently found their way into food retailing (Nature & Decouvertes, 2014).
Dopamine D2-receptor neurons in nucleus accumbens regulate sevoflurane anesthesia in mice
1 Introduction The mechanism underlying the alterations in consciousness induced by general anesthesia has long remained an enigmatic puzzle. In recent times, as research in related fields has deepened, it has been discovered that the manifestations of consciousness loss and reduced muscle tone induced by general anesthetics bear a striking resemblance to the characteristics exhibited during natural sleep processes (van der Meij et al., 2019).
Neuroscience Tools: Studying behavior under constrained movement
A central question in neuroscience is how patterns of brain activity lead to different behaviors. There is growing recognition that the brain is an active organ that constantly anticipates, predicts, and interacts with its environment (Buzsaki, 2021). It is therefore important to study the brain and behavior of animals in as natural conditions as possible. However, the more ‘free’ an animal is to behave as it would in the wild, the harder it is to observe what the brain is doing.
Interoceptive perception of optogenetic brain stimulation
New Results Jorge Luis-Islas, Monica Luna, Benjamin Floran, View ORCID ProfileRanier Gutierrez doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.04.22.440969 Abstract How do animals experience brain manipulations? Optogenetics has allowed us to manipulate selectively and interrogate neural circuits underlying brain function in health and disease. However, in addition to their evoked physiological functions, it is currently unknown whether mice could perceive arbitrary optogenetic stimulations.
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