Nutritional Neuropharmacology Lab

Investigating how hormones influence brain reward circuits

Under the direction of Joshua Gross, The Nutritional Neuropharmacology Lab studies how G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) signaling regulates food reward in the context of obesity, eating disorders, and metabolic disease. Basic science techniques, including molecular pharmacology in cell-based models to behavioral/physiological analyses using transgenic mice, are employed to study how GPCR-dependent gut hormones (ghrelin, GLP-1), neurotransmitters (dopamine, serotonin), and dietary nutrients (fatty acids) influence brain reward circuits. By understanding the intracellular signaling of "druggable" GPCRs, this work hopes to elucidate a molecular roadmap to enable the design and discovery of new medications or dietary interventions that maximize therapeutic efficacy and minimize side effects.