[prattwe@wfu.edu] Asst. Professor of Psychology (336) 758-5745 Vita

Education

	B.A., University of Vermont, 1994
	M.S. University of Utah, 1997
	Ph.D. University of Utah, 2002

Research interests:

My research interests are focused on understanding the neurobiological substrates that underlie the brain’s encoding of natural rewards. In particular, I am interested in how rewards are signaled and communicated between brain regions, and how neural circuits select adaptive behaviors based on motivation and reinforcement history. As such, the research done in my laboratory examines brain function as it relates to motivation, learning, and memory.

Recently, my laboratory has been probing the roles of several neurotransmitters within the nucleus accumbens in food-directed motivation. The nucleus accumbens is a brain region within basal ganglia pathways that is involved in learning about and directing behavior towards stimuli in the environment that are rewarding or predict rewarding outcomes. Together with other neural circuits, the nucleus accumbens directs voluntary behavior based upon reinforcement history and has been heavily implicated in the neurobiology of drug addiction. Recent evidence suggests that the nucleus accumbens and its interconnected circuitry also play an important role in promoting food intake in response to the presentation of particularly palatable, rewarding foods. The proliferation of such diets in modern culture is likely one of the multiple environmental factors that underlies the current obesity epidemic.

Using the rat as an experimental model, and employing behavioral pharmacological techniques, my laboratory examines how neurotransmitter systems interact in brain reward pathways to direct motivated behavior. Most recently, my students and I have been examining the functional roles of nucleus accumbens acetylcholine, serotonin, opioid, and cannabinoid receptors in the direction of food-motivated behaviors.

Representative Publications (by topic):

Nucleus accumbens serotonin and food intake (Italics indicate WFU student authors):

Pratt, W. E., Blackstone, K., Connolly, M., & Skelly, M. J. (2009). Selective Serotonin Receptor Stimulation of the Medial Nucleus Accumbens Causes Differential Effects on Food Intake and Locomotion. Behavioral Neuroscience, 123(5):1046-57. [PDF]

Nucleus accumbens acetylcholine and behavior (Italics indicate WFU student authors):

	Pratt, W. E., & Blackstone, K. (2009). Nucleus accumbens acetylcholine and food intake: Decreased muscarinic tone reduces feeding but not food-seeking. Behavioural Brain Research, 198(1), 252-257. [PDF]
	Pratt, W. E., Spencer, R.C., & Kelley, A. E. (2007). Muscarinic receptor antagonism of the Nucleus accumbens core causes avoidance to flavor and spatial cues. Behavioral Neuroscience, 121(6), 1215-23. [PDF]
	Pratt, W. E., & Kelley, A. E. (2004). Nucleus accumbens acetylcholine regulates appetitive learning and motivation for food via activation of muscarinic receptors. Behavioral Neuroscience, 118(4), 730-739. [PDF]

Ventral striatal opioid modulation of food motivation:

	Will, M. J.*, Pratt, W. E.*, & Kelley, A. E. (2006). Pharmacological characterization of high fat feeding induced by opioid stimulation of the ventral striatum. Physiology and Behavior, 89(2), 226-34. (*equivalent contribution)
	Kelley, A. E., Baldo, B. A., Pratt, W. E., & Will, M. J. (2005) Corticostriatal-hypothalamic circuitry and food motivation: Integration of energy, reward, and action. Physiology and Behavior, 86(5), 773-795. [PDF}

Courses taught: 

	First Year Seminar ● We can, but should we? Ethical Questions at the Cutting Edge of Scientific Research
	Psychology 312 ● Research Methods in Psychology
	Psychology 326 ● Learning Theory and Research
	Psychology 320 ● Physiological Psychology