Neurobiology of Metabolic Dysfunction Lab

Faculty

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Research Focus

This laboratory focuses on better understanding the underlying cause(s) of chronic hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) in people with diabetes. This vital response frequently becomes dysfunctional in individuals with diabetes, leaving them vulnerable to life threatening bouts of hypoglycemia. This dysfunction, known hypoglycemia unawareness, is a serious condition characterized by drastically reduced hormonal responses to hypoglycemia as well as the loss of the physical symptoms of hypoglycemia, such as shakiness, dizziness, and a fast or irregular heartbeat. Severe hypoglycemia is associated with a 3.4-fold increased risk of death in diabetic patients, and long-term longitudinal studies suggest that 6-10% of individuals with type 1 diabetes die as a result of acute hypoglycemia. Undoubtedly many of these deaths are influenced by the development of hypoglycemia unawareness.

About this Lab

This laboratory currently has a 5-year NIH funded research project that seeks to better understand how low levels of the hormone leptin may be involved in the development and progression of hypoglycemia unawareness. Previous and ongoing research projects employ a variety of cutting-edge techniques such as neuroimaging, magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), live cell calcium imaging, in vivo hormonal assays, transgenic manipulations, and hyperinsulinemic clamps. The ultimate goal of this lab is to translate basic research findings into practical interventions that can be utilized in people with diabetes to reduce the burden of hypoglycemia complications and thereby improve patient outcomes.