The Hypothalamus Matters — Dr. Dongsheng Cai has recently been awarded two grants from the National Institutes of Health: $2.2 million over five years, from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; and $1.9 million over four years, from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. These grants support his studies concerning the role of the hypothalamus in the development of obesity and its relation to hypertension, respectively. The hypothalamus is the portion of the brain responsible for certain metabolic processes and other activities of the autonomic nervous system. Previously, Dr. Cai’s lab demonstrated that activation of the molecular pathway known as IKKβ/NF-κB causes hypothalamic inflammation and affects hypothalamic control of appetite, body weight and blood pressure. These effects vary among different types of hypothalamic cells, and differentially link the environmental condition of nutritional excess to varying disease consequences in obesity and in hypertension. These grants support the future efforts of Dr. Cai’s laboratory team in their study of the underlying mechanisms and interventional strategies for these closely related but different diseases. Dr. Cai is professor of molecular pharmacology.
Posted on: Tuesday, September 17, 2013