Research Interests:
 The primary research focus of the Waterhouse laboratory is to understand the role of the central monoaminergic systems in brain function and behavior. More specifically, the lab is concerned with the anatomy and physiology of the brainstem noradrenergic and serotonergic efferent systems as they relate to the sensory-processing capabilities of an organism.
These studies employ a broad spectrum of neuroanatomical and electrophysiological techniques including microiontophoresis, single unit extracellular recording from anesthetized animals, simultaneous spike train recordings from multiple arrays of single neurons in awake animals, intracellular recording in cerebrocortical and cerebellar tissue slice preparations, computer- based acquisition and analysis of spike train data and mapping of monoamine projections from source nuclei using retrograde tracer substances.
The underlying theme of this work is that synaptically released norepinephrine and serotonin operate as complementary neuromodulatory substances, which regulate the responsiveness of sensory neurons and sensory circuits to synaptic inputs. As such, these systems may play a significant role in the ability of the organism to orient and attend to novel or salient stimuli from the sensory surround.
Clinical implications of this work which have led to related experimental studies are that these monoaminergic systems may underlie some of the behavioral actions of psychostimulant drugs such as cocaine and amphetamine.
Waterhouse Lab website
Selected Publications:
Devilbiss, D.M., and Waterhouse, B.D. 2006. Locus coeruleus regulates sensory encoding by neurons and networks in animals. Journal of Neuroscience 26:9860-9872.
Drouin, C., Page, M., and Waterhouse, B.D. 2006. Methylphenidate enhances noradrenergic transmission and suppresses mid- and long-latency sensory responses in the primary somatosensory cortex of awake rats. Journal of Neurophysiology 96:622-632.
Rutter, J.R., Devilbiss, D.M., and Waterhouse, B.D. 2005. Effects of systemically administered cocaine on sensory responses to peri-threshold vibrissae stimulation: individual cells, ensemble activity and animal behavior. European Journal of Neuroscience 22:3205-3216.
Lee, H.S., Kim, M_A, and Waterhouse, B.D. 2005. Retrograde double-labeling study of common afferent projections to the dorsal raphe and the nuclear core of the locus coeruleus in the rat. J. Comp. Neurol. 481:179-193.
Waterhouse, B.D., Devilbiss, D., Seiple, S. and Markowitz, R. 2004. Sensorimotor-related discharge of simultaneously recorded, single neurons in the dorsal raphe nucleus of the awake, unrestrained rat. Brain Res. 1000:183-191.
Drouin, C.E. and Waterhouse, B.D. 2004. Cocaine-induced vs behavior-related alterations of spontaneous and evoked discharge of somatosensory cortical neurons. Eur. J. Neurosci. 19:1016-1026.
Devilbiss, D. and Waterhouse, B.D. 2004. Effects of tonic locus ceruleus output on sensory-evoked responses of ventral posterior medial thalamic and barrel field cortical neurons in the awake rat. Multimodal influences of the locus coeruleus efferent pathway on signal transmission through ascending sensory pathways. J. Neurosci. 24:10773-10785.
Berridge, C.W. and Waterhouse, B.D. 2003. The locus coeruleus-noradrenergic system: modulation of behavioral state and state-dependent cognitive processes. Brain Res. Rev. 42: 33-84.
Simpson, K.L., Waterhouse, B.D., and Lin, R.C.S. 2003. Differential expression of nitric oxide in serotonergic projection neurons: neurochemical identification of dorsal raphe inputs to rodent trigeminal somatosensory targets. Journal of Comparative Neurology 466:495-512. |