Pete Clifton's Home Page


Pete Clifton Professor of Psychology and Head of Department Department of Psychology University of Sussex Falmer, Brighton BN1 9QG UK Email: pete@sussex.ac.uk Phone: (+44 ) 1273 678396 Fax: (+44) 1273 678058 Office hour: Mondays and Thursdays at 11.00h (Room 2B14, Pevensey 1 Building)

Research Interests

My research centres on the neural and neurochemical mechanisms involved in the control of ingestive behaviour. At present, I am especially interested in the role of structures such as the nucleus accumbens and hippocampus, and in neurotransmitters such as serotonin, dopamine and the cannabinoids and melanocortins. I use techniques such as meal pattern analysis, recording of satiety sequences and detailed video analysis of the motor components of ingestive behaviour to give a fine grain behavioural analysis. As well as conventional studies of drugs that affect serotonergic systems, I am analysing the detailed behavioural deficits in the control of feeding that result when the 5-HT2C , 5-HT 1B and MC 4 receptors are non-functional.

Research in my laboratory is currently, or has recently, been supported by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council and Medical Research Councils, Vernalis Research Ltd, Eli Lilly and GlaxoSmithKline. My research students have been supported by the Medical Research Council and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council.

Teaching

I contribute lectures to 4 courses at Sussex and students at the University will find support material for each course by logging in to Study Direct.

Neuroscience and Behaviour (Year 1 Life Sciences option).

Psychobiology (Year 1 BSc Psychology)

Contemporary Issues in Psychology (Year 1 BSc Psychology elective)

Philosophy of Psychology(Year 3 BSc Psychology)

Selected Recent Publications

E.M. Somerville, J.M. Horwood, M.D. Lee, G.A. Kennett, P.G. Clifton (2007) 5-HT2C receptor activation inhibits appetitive and consummatory components of feeding and increases brain c-fos immunoreactivity in mice. European Journal of Neuroscience 25: 3115-3124.

Z.D. Thornton-Jones, G.A. Kennett, S.P. Vickers, P.G. Clifton. (2007) A comparison of the effects of the CB1 receptor antagonist SR141716A, pre-feeding and changed palatability on the microstructure of ingestive behaviour. Psychopharmacology 193: 1-9.

Z.D. Thornton-Jones, G.A. Kennett, K.R. Benwell, D.F. Revell, A. Misra, D.M. Sellwood, S.P. Vickers, P.G. Clifton. (2006) The cannabinoid CB1 receptor inverse agonist, rimonabant, modifies body weight and adiponectin function in diet-induced obese rats as a consequence of reduced food intake. Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior 84:353-359.

L.K. Heisler, E.E. Jobst, G.M. Sutton, L. Zhou, E. Borok, Z. Thornton-Jones, H.Y Liu, J.M. Zigman, N .Balthasar, T. Kishi, C.E. Lee, C.J. Aschkenasi, C-Y Zhang, J. Yu, O. Boss, K.G. Mountjoy, P.G. Clifton, B.B. Lowell, J.M. Friedman, T. Horvath, A.A. Butler, J.K. Elmquist, M.A. Cowley. (2006) Serotonin Reciprocally Regulates Melanocortin Neurons to Modulate Food Intake Neuron 51:239-249.

P.G. Clifton, G.A. Kennett. (2006) Monoamine binding receptors as drug targets for the treatment of obesity. CNS and Neurological Disorders - Drug Targets 5:293-312.

S.J. Cooper, H.A. Al-Naser, P.G. Clifton. (2006) The anorectic effect of the selective dopamine D1 receptor agonist, A-77636, determined by meal pattern analysis in free-feeding rats. European Journal of Pharmacology 532:253-257.

G.L. Dalton, M.D. Lee, G.A. Kennett, C.T. Dourish, P.G. Clifton. (2006) Serotonin 1B and 2C receptor interactions in the modulation of feeding behaviour in the mouse. Psychopharmacology 185:45-57.

A.W. Hartfield, N.A. Moore, P.G. Clifton. (2005) Effects of atypical antipsychotic drugs on Intralipid intake and cocaine-induced hyperactivity in rats. Neuropsychopharmacology 31:1938-4.

Z.D. Thornton-Jones, S.P. Vickers, P.G. Clifton (2005) SR141716A reduces appetitive and consummatory responses for food. Psychopharmacology 179: 452-460.

M.D. Lee, E.M. Somerville, G.A. Kennett, C.T. Dourish and P.G. Clifton (2004). Reduced hypophagic effects of d-fenfluramine and 5-HT2C receptor agonists in 5-HT1B receptor knockout mice. Psychopharmacology 176:39-49.

M.D. Lee, E.M. Somerville, G.A. Kennett, C.T. Dourish and P.G. Clifton (2004). Tonic regulation of satiety by 5-HT1B receptors in the mouse: converging evidence from behavioural and c-fos immunoreactivity studies. European Journal of Neuroscience 19:3017-3025.

G.L. Dalton, M.D. Lee, G.A. Kennett, C.T. Dourish, P.G. Clifton (2004). mCPP-induced hyperactivity in 5-HT2C receptor mutant mice is mediated by activation of multiple 5-HT receptor subtypes. Neuropharmacology 46:663-671.

Hartfield, A.W., Moore, N.A. and Clifton, P.G. (2003) Serotonergic and histaminergic mechanisms involved in intralipid drinking. Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior 76:251-258. (pdf )

Hartfield, A.W., Moore, N.A. and Clifton, P.G. (2003) Effects of clozapine, olanzapine and haloperidol on the microstructure of ingestive behaviour in the rat. Psychopharmacology 167:115-122. (pdf )

Clifton, P.G., Lee, M.D., Somerville, E.M., Kennett, G.A. and Dourish, C.T. (2003) 5-HT1B receptor knockout mice show a compensatory reduction in 5-HT2C receptor function. European Journal of Neuroscience 17:185-190. (pdf )

Lee, M.D., Kennett GA, Dourish CT, Clifton PG. (2002) 5-HT(1B) receptors modulate components of satiety in the rat: behavioural and pharmacological analyses of the selective serotonin(1B) agonist CP-94,253. Psychopharmacology 164:49-60. (pdf )

Hewitt, K.N., Lee, M.D., Dourish, C.T. and Clifton, P.G. (2002) Serotonin 2C receptor agonists and the behavioural satiety sequence in mice. Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior 71, 691-700. (pdf )

Lee, M.D., Clifton, P.G. (2002) Meal patterns of free feeding rats treated with clozapine, olanzapine or haloperidol. Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior 71: 147-154. (pdf )

Clifton, P.G., Lee, M.D. and Dourish, C.T. (2000). Similarities in the action of Ro 60-0175, a 5HT2C receptor agonist, and d-fenfluramine on feeding patterns in the rat. Psychopharmacology 152: 256-267. ( pdf )

Ward, B.O., Somerville, E.M., and Clifton, P.G. (2000). Intra-accumbens baclofen selectively enhances ingestive behaviour in the rat. Physiology and Behavior 68: 463-468. (pdf )

Clifton , P.G. (2000). Meal patterning in rodents: psychopharmacological and neuroanatomical studies. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews 24: 213-222. (pdf )

Vickers, S.P., Clifton, P.G., Dourish, C.T. and Tecott L.H. (1999). Reduced satiating effect of d-fenfluramine in serotonin 5-HT2C receptor mutant mice. Psychopharmacology 143: 309-314. ( pdf )

Clifton, P.G., Vickers, S.D. & Somerville, E.M. (1998). Little and often: ingestive behaviour patterns following hippocampal lesions in rats. Behavioral Neuroscience, 112, 502-511.

Cooper, S.J. & Clifton, P.G. (1996). Drug Receptor Subtypes and Ingestive Behaviour. Academic Press.

Other Interests

I am a member of the Research Board of the British Psychological Society. I am also Chair of the BPS Standing Advisory Committe on the Use of Animals in Psychology and attend the Boyd Group as BPS representative.
I tutor SD805 (Issues in Brain and Behaviour: Addiction and Aging) with the Open University. I am also on the Course Teams for SK277 (Human Biology) and SDK122 (Challenging Obesity).
I am a keen dinghy sailor and try to race my RS200 or Lighning most weekends, summer and winter at Weir Wood Sailing Club. I keep in touch with the wider world of sailing through the excellent ISAF site.

Last updated on 4th November 2008