Research Interests:

My research program involves taking a neural systems approach to understanding the neurobiology of learning and memory. My interest focuses on investigating the principles and neural mechanisms that govern the ability to learn new rules and inhibit old rules under changing environmental conditions. The ability to adopt new strategies and inhibit old strategies involves a powerful form of plasticity for adapting to a changing environment and reflects intricate learning,memory and attentional systems. The main focus of current experiments is investigating the role of the prefrontal cortex and interconnected brain regions, i.e. striatum and thalamus, in shifting strategies or learning sets. These experiments employ behavioral testing in conjunction with pharmacology and neurochemical techniques, i.e. microdialysis w/HPLC and in vivo voltammetry, in understanding the dynamic neurochemical changes that occur during different forms of learning. Future experiments will examine how neurochemical changes in one brain area influence neurochemical changes in other brain areas and what effect this has on learning and cognitive flexibility.

Representative Publications:
                    Ragozzino M.E., Jih J. & Tzavos A. (2002).  Involvement of the dorsomedial striatum in behavioral flexibility:
                    role of muscarinic cholinergic receptors.  Brain Research, in press. [Abstract]

                   Ragozzino M.E. (2002). The effects of dopamine D1 receptor blockade in the prelimbic-infralimbic areas on
                    behavioral flexibility. Learning & Memory,9:18-28. [Abstract]

                    Ragozzino M.E., Ragozzino K.E., Mizumori S.J.Y. & Kesner R.P. (2002). Role of the dorsomedial  striatum in
                    behavioral flexibility for response and visual cue discrimination learning.  Behavioral Neuroscience, 116: 105-115.
                    [Abstract]

                    Ragozzino M.E., Detrick S. & Kesner R.P. (2002).  The effects of prelimbic and infralimbic lesions on working
                    memory for visual objects in rats.  Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, 77: 29-43.  [Abstract]

                    Ragozzino M.E. & Kesner R.P. (2001).  The role of the rat dorsomedial prefrontal cortex in working memory
                    for egocentric responses.  Neuroscience Letters, 308: 145-148. [Abstract]

Ragozzino M.E., Detrick S. and Kesner R.P. (1999). Involvement of the prelimbic-infralimbic areas of the rodent prefrontal cortex in behavioral flexibility for place and response learning. Journal of Neuroscience,19:4585-4594. [Abstract]

Ragozzino M.E., Wilcox S., Raso M. and Kesner R.P. (1999). Involvement of the medial prefrontal cortex subregions in strategy switching. Behavioral Neuroscience 113: 32-41.[Abstract]

Ragozzino M.E. and Kesner R.P. (1999). The role of the agranular insular cortex in working memory for food reward value and allocentric space in rats. Behavioural Brain Research 96: 109-124.[Abstract]

McIntyre C., Ragozzino M.E. and Gold P.E. (1998). Intra-amygdala infusions of scopolamine impair performance on conditioned place preference but not win-shift task. Behavioural Brain Research 95: 219-226.[Abstract]

Ragozzino M.E. and Kesner R.P. (1998). The effects of muscarinic cholinergic receptor blockade in the rat anterior cingulate and prelimbic/infralimbic cortices on spatial working memory. Neurobiology of Learning and Memory 69: 241-257.[Abstract]

Ragozzino M.E., Pal S.N., Unick K., Stefani M.R. and Gold P.E. (1998). Modulation of hippocampal acetylcholine release and of memory by intrahippocampal glucose injections. Journal of Neuroscience 18: 1595-1601.[Abstract]

Ragozzino M.E. and Gold P.E. (1995). Glucose injections into the medial septum reverse the effects on intraseptal morphine infusions on hippocampal acetylcholine output and memory. Neuroscience 68: 981- 988.[Abstract]

Ragozzino M.E., Unick K.E. and Gold P.E. (1996). Hippocampal acetylcholine release during memory testing: Augmentation by glucose. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 93: 4693-4698.[Abstract]