My laboratory involved in an analysis of the anatomical and functional organization of the limbic forebrain, and its relation to neurological and psychiatric diseases. The research has focused on the olfactory system, amygdala, related parts of the thalamus and basal ganglia, and, most recently, the prefrontal and temporal cortex. Together these structures constitute a complex, interconnected system that is not directly involved in sensory function, but is implicated functions such in emotional behavior and related modulation of visceral function, reward assessment and prediction, and the ability to make effective choices. The system is involved in disorders such as Alzheimer's disease, epilepsy and clinical depression.
Current studies include experiments in which multiple axonal tracers are injected under physiological guidance into the basal forebrain, medial thalamus, or prefrontal and temporal cortex of monkeys to demonstrate axonal connections. These are correlated with patterns of histological and immunohistochemical staining for neurotransmitters or other markers. The data can, and has been used as a base for interpreting functional patterns in mood disorders, demonstrated with neural activity imaging methods.
Brain tissue from subjects with mood disorders is also being examined histologically to identify cellular changes. Earlier studies have indicated that there is a ive decrease in glia, especially oligodendrocytes, in major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder. These results appear to correlate with structural imaging data that have demonstrated differences in white matter volume in subjects with mood disorders.
Research Photos (Click to Enlarge)
Research Publications
Price JL, Drevets WC (2010 Jan). Neurocircuitry of mood disorders. Neuropsychopharmacology. 35 (1): 192-216. Full Article >
Price JL, McKeel DW Jr, Buckles VD, Roe CM, Xiong C, Grundman M, Hansen LA, Petersen RC, Parisi JE, Dickson DW, Smith CD, Davis DG, Schmitt FA, Markesbery WR, Kaye J, Kurlan R, Hulette C, Kurland BF, Higdon R, Kukull W, Morris JC (2009 Jul). Neuropathology of nondemented aging: presumptive evidence for preclinical Alzheimer disease. Neurobiol Aging. 30 (7): 1026-36. Full Article >
Hsu DT, Price JL (2009 Feb 20). Paraventricular thalamic nucleus: subcortical connections and innervation by serotonin, orexin, and corticotropin-releasing hormone in macaque monkeys. J Comp Neurol. 512 (6): 825-48. Full Article >
Arbelaez AM, Powers WJ, Videen TO, Price JL, Cryer PE (2008 Feb). Attenuation of counterregulatory responses to recurrent hypoglycemia by active thalamic inhibition: a mechanism for hypoglycemia-associated autonomic failure. Diabetes. 57 (2): 470-5. Full Article >
Saleem KS, Kondo H, Price JL (2008 Feb 1). Complementary circuits connecting the orbital and medial prefrontal networks with the temporal, insular, and opercular cortex in the macaque monkey. J Comp Neurol. 506 (4): 659-93. Full Article >
Price JL (2007 Dec). Definition of the orbital cortex in relation to specific connections with limbic and visceral structures and other cortical regions. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1121: 54-71. Full Article >
Contact Info
Joseph Price, D. Phil.
Office Location: 211 East McDonnell
Office Phone: 314-362-3587
Lab Phone: 314-362-3586
Campus Box: 8108
Fax: 314-747-4370
pricej@pcg.wustl.edu
