Effects Of Melanocortin Neurons On Systemic Glucose Homeostasis
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$860,251.00
Summary
There is good evidence that the brain can control blood glucose, but we do not know how this occurs, or why this doesn’t work in diabetes. This grant will use cutting edge mouse genetic technology to determine how the brain controls blood glucose, and what changes in diabetes. This grant will determine how several hormones act through the brain to change glucose levels, and will help develop new strategies to treat high blood glucose.
Brain damage resulting from long-term alcohol abuse is localized to discrete regions of the brain and selectively impairs key neuropsychological functions. Alcohol misuse affects processes that control excitability in the brain, leading to the over-stimulation of brain cells. When this continues for long periods the cells are likely to die and most alcoholics misuse alcohol for most of their adult lives. We will study the human brain s capacity to use and respond to glutamate, its major natural ....Brain damage resulting from long-term alcohol abuse is localized to discrete regions of the brain and selectively impairs key neuropsychological functions. Alcohol misuse affects processes that control excitability in the brain, leading to the over-stimulation of brain cells. When this continues for long periods the cells are likely to die and most alcoholics misuse alcohol for most of their adult lives. We will study the human brain s capacity to use and respond to glutamate, its major natural excitant, in the regions that are selectively damaged by alcoholism. How these capacities are affected by heredity, and by diseases commonly associated with alcoholism such as cirrhosis of the liver, will also be explored. If we can understand how selective brain damage occurs in alcoholics we will be better able to devise new drug therapies to combat and prevent it. As well, localized brain damage is a feature of many neurological diseases, so the study will provide a general model of disease mechanisms.Read moreRead less