James E. McCutcheon

This study shows that protein restriction selectively enhances nucleus accumbens dopamine responses to protein-containing food during operant feeding in male mice, depending on nutritional status and task demands.

The paper introduces lickcalc, a software tool for analyzing rodent lick microstructure to uncover subtle differences in drinking behavior.

This study examines how protein restriction affects meal patterning in mice, showing increased snacking and feasting behaviors when protein intake is restricted.

The paper shows that dopamine responses decrease rapidly before a hedonic switch during sodium satiation, tracking cumulative sodium intake in rats.

RTFED provides real-time, remote monitoring of mouse feeding and operant behaviors with video and fiber photometry recording, improving accessibility and reducing animal disturbance.

This study shows that requiring mice to perform a simple action to access high-fat diet reduces intake and prevents obesity, suggesting that easy access promotes overeating.

This study shows that prolonged junk food exposure in rats reduces VTA neural activity and responsiveness to natural rewards like food and sex.

This study shows that protein-restricted rats rapidly develop a preference for protein over carbohydrate, which is linked to increased palatability and not prior exposure.

This study measures histamine dynamics during feeding in mice and finds rapid fluctuations influenced by solution type and time of day, with regional differences in recovery patterns.

This study shows that intermittent protein restriction in male mice increases food intake and plasma ghrelin, similar to continuous protein restriction, but not in females.

The paper finds that male and female mice show similar protein preference and plasma FGF21 responses to dietary protein restriction, with no effect of estrous cycle stage on preference or FGF21 levels during restriction.

This study shows that protein-restricted rats show increased motivation for protein-rich food, which disappears after refeeding.

This study investigates the role of A13 dopaminergic neurons in movement and reward using transgenic rats, finding they are involved in fine forelimb movements but not reward-based behavior.

This study shows that protein restriction increases VTA neural activity during protein consumption compared to carbohydrate in rats, highlighting the role of VTA circuits in protein appetite.

This study examines how distractor stimuli affect VTA neuronal activity in rats during saccharin consumption, finding that neural responses to distractors persist even after behavior habituates.

This study examines how protein restriction during adolescence or adulthood affects dopamine release in specific brain regions in rats, showing age-dependent differences in neural responses.

This study compares dopamine responses in rats to two sucrose delivery methods, finding that predicted pellet cues elicit greater dopamine release than predicted infusion cues.

This study shows that protein-restricted rats develop a preference for protein-containing food and show increased palatability of protein compared to carbohydrate.