Group: Pathophysiology of obesity
Acronym: ADIPOBRAIN
Registry number: G20/5-04
School/Centre: PHARMACY
Memberships:
Research thematic areas:
UNESCO Code: 240113
Keywords:
Leptin, High-fat Diets, Memory, Adipose Tissue, Blood-brain Barrier, Hippocampus
Relevant characteristics of the research group (description of the group's activity): The Physiopathology of Obesity group (ADIPOBRAIN) started its activity at USP-CEU in 1999. Since then, it has received continuous public and private funding from the National R&D Plans (6 projects), the National Plan on Drugs, Comunidad de Madrid and Fundación La Caixa. During these years, 12 PhDs have been trained in the group and more than 50 papers have been published in international journals. The line of research, currently under development, aims to identify the susceptibility of young animals to excessive consumption of saturated fats. The study has two strands aimed at analysing the effect of saturated fats in rodents: 1) At the endocrine level, on a) the production of leptin, a hormone synthesised by adipose tissue and which acts in the brain to control appetite and energy expenditure; b) the entry of leptin into the brain through the blood-brain barrier and the choroid plexus; and c) the sensitivity to leptin of the hippocampus, an area of the brain involved in learning and memory. 2) In the CNS, using a) behavioural tests that allow the study of cognitive processes such as learning and memory; and b) electrophysiological studies that provide insight into the mechanisms of transmission and synaptic plasticity that underlie learning and memory processes. Contact: [email protected]
The Physiopathology of Obesity group (ADIPOBRAIN) started its activity at USP-CEU in 1999. Since then, it has received continuous public and private funding from the National R&D Plans (6 projects), the National Plan on Drugs, Comunidad de Madrid and Fundación La Caixa. During these years, 12 PhDs have been trained in the group and more than 50 papers have been published in international journals. The line of research, currently under development, aims to identify the susceptibility of young animals to excessive consumption of saturated fats. The study has two strands aimed at analysing the effect of saturated fats in rodents:
1) At the endocrine level, on a) the production of leptin, a hormone synthesised by adipose tissue and which acts in the brain to control appetite and energy expenditure; b) the entry of leptin into the brain through the blood-brain barrier and the choroid plexus; and c) the sensitivity to leptin of the hippocampus, an area of the brain involved in learning and memory.
2) In the CNS, using a) behavioural tests that allow the study of cognitive processes such as learning and memory; and b) electrophysiological studies that provide insight into the mechanisms of transmission and synaptic plasticity that underlie learning and memory processes.
Contact: [email protected]