Hypothalamic control of energy balance
An adequate balance between energy intake and expenditure is essential for maintaining good health. To preserve this energy homeostasis, the brain engages in continuous dialogue with peripheral tissues to regulate both the energy entering the organism (through food intake) and the energy leaving it (through expenditure). To fulfill this role, the brain senses metabolic signals—including hormones and nutrients—that convey information about nutritional status and body energy stores, and responds through efferent regulatory pathways—mainly via the endocrine and autonomic nervous systems—to restore energy balance.
Over the past decade, it has become evident that tanycytes—specialized hypothalamic glial cells lining the floor of the third ventricle—are ideally positioned to detect fluctuations in nutrient and hormone levels and to relay this metabolic information to neurons. Our research aims to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying the dialogue between tanycytes and neurons, the heterogeneity of these interactions, and the functional alterations induced by obesity.
The specific research directions of our laboratory include:
Project 1
Heterogeneity Among Tanycyte Populations and Their Functional Partnerships
What are the distinct subtypes of tanycytes? What functions do they perform? Which neuronal populations do they interact with?
Project 3
Subcellular Insights into Tanycyte Biology
How is the ultrastructure of tanycytes organized, and how does it support their functional roles?
“All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them.”
Galileo Galilei