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:
"Locus coeruleus regulates sensory encoding by neurons and networks in animals"
Devilbiss DM, and Waterhouse BD
Journal of Neuroscience 26:9860-9872, 2006.
"Methylphenidate enhances noradrenergic transmission and suppresses mid- and long-latency sensory responses in the primary somatosensory cortex of awake rats"
Drouin C, Page M, and Waterhouse BD
Journal of Neurophysiology 96:622-632, 2006
"Effects of systemically administered cocaine on sensory responses to peri-threshold vibrissae stimulation: individual cells, ensemble activity and animal behavior"
Rutter JR, Devilbiss DM, and Waterhouse BD
European Journal of Neuroscience 22:3205-3216, 2005.
"Retrograde double-labeling study of common afferent projections to the dorsal raphe and the nuclear core of the locus coeruleus in the rat"
Lee HS, Kim MA, and Waterhouse BD
J. Comp. Neurol. 481:179-193, 2005.
"Sensorimotor-related discharge of simultaneously recorded, single neurons in the dorsal raphe nucleus of the awake, unrestrained rat" Waterhouse BD, Devilbiss D, Seiple S and Markowitz R
Brain Res. 1000:183-191, 2004.
"Cocaine-induced vs behavior-related alterations of spontaneous and evoked discharge of somatosensory cortical neurons"
Drouin CE and Waterhouse BD
Eur. J. Neurosci. 19:1016-1026, 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"
Devilbiss D and Waterhouse BD
J. Neurosci. 24:10773-10785, 2004.
"The locus coeruleus-noradrenergic system: modulation of behavioral state and state-dependent cognitive processes"
Berridge CW and Waterhouse BD
Brain Res. Rev. 42: 33-84, 2003
"Differential expression of nitric oxide in serotonergic projection neurons: neurochemical identification of dorsal raphe inputs to rodent trigeminal somatosensory targets"
Simpson KL, Waterhouse BD, and Lin RCS
Journal of Comparative Neurology 466:495-512, 2003. |