Neuroendocrine Brain
The neuroendocrine brain is a primary focus of the following BHRI members' research:
We focus on uncovering epigenome-driven gene programs that promote progenitor cell differentiation into neuroendocrine cells that control body homeostatic processes like reproduction and stress.
Neuroendocrine basis of reproduction; prenatal programming of neuroendocrine function; neurobiology of circadian rhythms.
Neural basis of circadian rhythm regulation, and interactions between food, circadian timing and reproductive function.
We are interested in defining and understanding neuroendocrine circuits in the brain that control fertility in mammals. In addition, our research uses a preclinical model to study how disruptions within neuroendocrine circuits lead to infertility in polycystic ovary syndrome, the most common cause of infertility in women worldwide.
I examine the neural underpinnings of individual differences in physical activity and energy expenditure as they relate to obesity propensity, and the central and peripheral neural mechanisms responsible for controlling skeletal muscle thermogenesis.
Current research in the lab focuses on understanding the regulation of fertility by the brain in mammals.
