Ph.D., Binghamton University, State University of New York
M.A., Binghamton University, State University of New York
B.S., University of Oklahoma
lemon@ou.edu
405-325-2365 (Phone)
405-325-6202 (Fax)
SRTC 1108
Sensory processing partly guides behaviors that promote protection and homeostasis. For instance, our ability to detect painful heat allows us to avoid touching hot surfaces that may induce tissue damage. On the other hand, the pleasurable sweet taste of sugar entices us to consume carbohydrate-laden foods that provide needed energy. How the brain assigns value to sensory stimuli to promote appropriate physiological and behavioral reactions remains only poorly understood.
In my lab we study molecular effectors and neural circuits implicated to participate in the computation of sensory value by the mammalian brain. Our studies focus on thermosensation and the sense of taste as model sensory modalities. Both of these modalities have strong ties to homeostasis and motivated behaviors, with thermal sensation involved in part with thermoregulation and taste intimately linked to control of feeding in diverse animals. My group investigates the neural processing of temperature and taste using a combination of neurophysiological, molecular, optogenetic, and behavioral methods. This work has implications for understanding how changes in sensory processing may arise and participate in disease states, such as ingestive disorders, and for developing therapeutic targets.
