Neuroendocrine Control of Energy Balance
Our laboratory’s overarching goal seeks to understand the neuroendocrine systems regulating energy balance and motivated behaviors. Using multiple approaches from the cell to the whole organism and extensively examine the role of various neuroendocrine signaling systems (e.g., GLP-1, leptin, amylin, CCK, serotonin, glutamate, and dopamine) in peripheral and central control of food intake and body weight regulation.
Overall, our research program takes a novel systems-neuroscience approach aimed at enhancing the development of realistic pharmacological-based therapeutics to treat obesity and associated comorbidities (e.g. obesity, eating disorders, diabetes, drug addiction and nausea / malaise).
GPR-160 Receptor Signaling in the Dorsal Vagal Complex of Male Rats Modulates Meal Microstructure and CART-Mediated Hypophagia
This work shows that DVC GPR-160 signaling is at least partially responsible for CART’s well-established anorexigenic effects when delivered to the brainstem at pharmacological doses. This work also shows that DVC GPR-160 endogenous signaling regulates normal meal microstructure and begins to characterize the DVC cell types that express Gpr160.