Principal Investigator:

Justus Verhagen, PhD
Assistant Fellow,
John B. Pierce Laboratory

Visiting Research Scientist in Epidemiology
Yale University School of Medicine

Research Interests

The research focus of the Neural Coding & Multimodal Integration of Flavor lab is to understand both the neural ‘codes’ and the neural integration of the separate sensory inputs that lead to the integrated perception food flavor. For both taste and smell it is currently unclear to what extent temporal factors as well as active sampling contribute to their respective neural processing. Further, multi-stimulus integration has long been known to occur with regards to e.g. oral touch, taste and smell, however the underlying neural mechanisms remain largely unknown. In essence, we investigate how stimulus characteristics are typically abstracted from the “world out there” (stimulus ‘modality’, ‘concentration’, etc.), and are subsequently put into a meaningful neural and perceptual context again. In my lab we employ optical imaging and multiunit electrophysiology in awake animals allowing for a deep insight into these integrative processes, and the neural codes associated with them.

Current Projects

One current project studies how the oral gustatory-somatosensory system and olfactory system interact in both acute and awake animals.

A second ongoing project neuro-behaviorally investigates retronasal olfaction (as employed during food consumption) and compares this to orthonasal olfaction (sniffing).

A third ongoing project investigates multimodal flavor perception and learning, also both behaviorally and neurally.

Representative Publications

Wesson DW, Carey RM, Verhagen JV and Wachowiak M
"Rapid Encoding and Perception of Novel Odors in the Rat"
PLOS Biology 6(4); 2008

Verhagen JV, Katz DB
More time to taste. Focus on "Variability in responses and temporal coding of tastants of similar quality in the nucleus of the solitary tract of the rat"
J. Neurophysiol. 99(2):413-4; 2008 (editorial)

Verhagen JV, Wesson DW, Netoff TI, White JA, Wachowiak M
"Sniffing controls an adaptive filter of sensory input to the olfactory bulb."
Nature Neuroscience 10(5): 631-639; 2007

Verhagen JV
"The neurocognitive bases of human multimodal food perception: Consciousness."
Brain Research and Brain Research Reviews 53(2):271-86 (review)

Verhagen JV and Engelen L
"The neurocognitive bases of human multimodal food perception: Sensory integration."
Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews 30(5): 613-50; 2006 (review)

Kadohisa M, Rolls ET and Verhagen JV
"Neuronal representations of stimuli in the mouth: the primate insular taste cortex, orbitofrontal cortex and amygdala."
Chemical Senses 30(5): 401-419; 2005

Verhagen JV, Kadohisa M and Rolls ET
"Neurons in the primate orbitofrontal cortex respond to fat texture independently of viscosity."
J. Neurophysiol. 90(3): 1514-1525; 2003

Verhagen JV, Kadohisa M and Rolls ET
"The primate insular/opercular cortex : neuronal representations of the viscosity, fat texture, grittiness, temperature and taste of foods." J. Neurophysiol. 92(3): 1685-1699; 2004

Verhagen JV and Scott TR
"Artificial neural network analysis of gustatory responses in the thalamic taste relay of the rat." Physiol & Behav. 80(4): 499-513; 2004

Verhagen JV, Giza BK, Scott TR
"Responses to taste stimulation in the ventroposteromedial nucleus of the thalamus in rats." J. Neurophysiol. 89(1):265-275; 2003 

Books:

Ribbon Loudspeakers
by Justus V. Verhagen

The first book dedicated to these great sounding speakers. The author favors ribbons, especially for use at mid- and high- frequencies. They are inexpensive and can be easily constructed with a minimum of tools. The book presents the theory and history of ribbon speakers and includes construction details for building your own ribbon loudspeakers. An extensive resource section is included along with a detailed listing of ribbon loudspeaker patents.

2003, ISBN 1-882580-44-3. Softbound
Sh. wt: 1 lbs.
Justus Verhagen, PhD
Principal Investigator
Shree Hari Gautam, PhD
 Postdoctoral Associate