Jinrong Li

Research Scientist

Lemon Lab

Ph.D., Xi’an Jiaotong University

jinrong.li@ou.edu

My long-term research interest focuses on exploring the brain circuits which transmit signals associated with flavor (mainly somatosensation and taste) and affect in daily ingestion behaviors, which plays an important role in maintain healthy nutrition. Specifically, my research employs combined genetic-assisted neural control techniques and extracellular recordings to identify the cell types that compose these circuits, how they are synaptically coupled and arranged to form brain pathways that convey neural information.

My ongoing study in Dr. Lemon’s lab is centered on neural processing of temperature and taste in the brain. My most recent paper revealed bitter-dominant PbN cells also showed responses to other stimuli associated with somatosensation. 

[1]       Jinrong Li Christian H. Lemon. 2019. Mouse parabrachial neurons signal a relationship between bitter taste and nociceptive stimuli. Journal of Neuroscience 39 (9):1631-1648

[2]       Christian H. Lemon, Yi Kang, Jinrong Li. 2016.  Separate functions for responses to oral temperature in thermo-gustatory and trigeminal neurons. Chemical Senses 41 (5): 457-471

[3]       Jinrong Li, Christian H. Lemon. 2015. Influence of stimulus and oral adaptation temperature on gustatory responses in central taste-sensitive neurons.  Journal of Neurophysiology 113(7):2700-2712

[4]       Junbao Yan*, Jinrong Li*, Suiling Sun, Qian Wang et al. 2013. Activation of µ-opioid receptors in the central nucleus of the Amygdala induces hypertonic sodium intake. Neurosicene. 233, 28-43. (*, equal contribution)

[5]       Jinrong Li, Jianqun Yan, Ke Chen, Bo Lv, Qian Wang, Wei Yan, Xiaolin zhao. 2012 Lesions of the central nucleus of the amygdala decrease taste threshold for sodium chloride in rats. Brain Research Bulletin. 89(1-2): 8-15

[6]       Jinrong Li, Ke Chen, Jianqun Yan, Qian Wang, Xiaolin Zhao, Xuejuan Yang, Dejun Yang, Shiru Zhao, Guangjing Zhu and Bo Sun. 2012. Increased sucrose intake and corresponding c-Fos in amygdala and parabracial nucleus of dietary obese rats. Neuroscience Letters. 525(2): 111-116

[7]       Wang Qian, Jinrong Li, Xuejuan Yang, Ke Chen, Bo Sun, Shiru Zhao, Jianqun Yan. 2012. Inhibitory effect of activation of GABAA receptor in the central nucleus of amygdala on the sodium intake in the sodium-depleted rat. Neuroscience. 223:277-284.