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Peter  C.  Brunjes
Degree(s): Ph.D.
Graduate School: Indiana University
Primary Appointment: Commonwealth Professor of Psychology
Research Interests:
Use the olfactory system to examine general problems in the brain maturation, including the role of afferent activity on tissue development and the interplay between evolution and development.

Email Address: pcb6e@virginia.edu
Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program(s)
  • Neuroscience
  • Molecular Cell and Developmental Biology
    • Research Description

    Our lab is involved in studying the development of the brain. We always have a number of projects underway, with a focus on understanding the development of the ventral forebrain. Much of our work centers on studies of the development of the olfactory system, as its strict organization makes it easy to use in order to examine the normal rules of growth. Since it is a portion of a sensory system, its function is quite easy to manipulate. The black and white drawing at left is a picture of several of the places we have examined. At the top (the portion shaped like a mushroom cap) is the olfactory bulb, the area of the brain that receives input from olfactory sensory neurons in the nasal cavity. We have examined many different aspects of bulb development, including gene expression, protein synthesis, metabolism, neuronal development, the expression of various neurophenotypes, physiological activity, the development of blood vessels, patterns of cell death, etc. The portion below the bulb, the “olfactory peduncle”, contains the second order processing station, also known as the “anterior olfactory nucleus”. It is a fascinating region that has received very little attention.

    Selected Publications
  • Meyer, E.A. Illig, K. R., and Brunjes, P. C. Differences in chemo- and cytoarchitectural features within pars principalis of the rat anterior olfactory nucleus suggest functional specialization. J. Comp. Neurol. 498, 786-795, 2006.
  • Brunjes, P.C., Illig, K. R., and Meyer, E. A. A field guide to the anterior olfactory nucleus/cortex. Brain Res. Reviews. 50, 305-335, 2005.
  • Mirich, J. M., Illig, K. R., and Brunjes, P. C. Experience-dependent activation of extracellular signal-related kinase (ERK) in the olfactory bulb. J. Comp. Neurol. 479, 234-241, 2004.
  • Couper Leo J. M., and Brunjes P. C. Neonatal focal denervation of the rat olfactory bulb alters cell structure and survival: a Golgi and Nissl and confocal study. Developmental Brain Research. 140, 277-286, 2003.
  • PubMed Listings for this Faculty Member
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    Contact Information
      Office Address: PO Box 400772, A&S, Office of the Dean, New Cabell Hall,, 
      Office Phone: +1 434-924-3437, +1 434-924-0687
      Fax Phone: +1 434-924-1317
      Web Site: http://www.people.Virginia.EDU/~pcb6e

    Other Websites for this mentor:
    http://www.virginia.edu/%7Eneurolab/

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