Behavioral Neuroendocrinology

Research Description
Obesity surgery causes massive weight loss along with resolution or improvement of numerous co-morbid health conditions such as type-2 diabetes, hypertension, sleep apnea and hyperlipidemia.  Fairly recent scientific study has determined that 84% of patients who undergo gastric bypass will experience complete resolution of type-2 diabetes.  The resolution appears to be weight loss independent since it takes hold often within days after surgery.  One area of research in my laboratory is to elucidate some of the mechanisms underlying the rapid resolution of diabetes following obesity surgery.   We utilize a rodent surgical model termed “ileal interposition” to study such effects.  Ileal interposition is useful for understanding the role of the lower intestine in post-surgical metabolic improvement.  In the laboratory we can use rodent models to examine physiological, histological and molecular changes in a variety of tissues following surgery.