We investigate the neuroepigenetic mechanisms regulating synaptic plasticity in the hypothalamus, their role in maintaining body weight set-point, and how their dysregulation contributes to diet-induced obesity, weight-regain, and aging-related impairments in appetite.

We investigate the neuro-hormonal basis for complex eating behaviors and blood glucose control, with the ultimate goal of designing new methods to prevent and treat extremes of body weight, blood glucose, and associated disorders of mood and metabolism.

We are interested in how metabolism regulates various behaviors. We use two invertebrate model systems of C. elegans and D. melanogaster, ultimately aiming to unveil conserved neuro-molecular mechanisms throughout animals including mammals.

We are interested in understanding at a cellular level the neural control of energy balance and glucose metabolism, and elucidating how these events may participate in human disease.

The Liu Lab investigates genetic and environmental factors leading towards obesity and metabolic syndrome in children and adolescents.

Obesity and metabolic diseases have been increasing at the alarming rate and threatening our health and economy over the world. However, we still don’t know much about how our metabolic homeostasis is regulated. Understanding the mechanism underlying the regulation of metabolism is a fundamental step towards designing new treatments for obesity and its associated diseases, and many other metabolic diseases

The Elmquist laboratory uses mouse genetics to identify circuits in the nervous system that regulate energy balance and glucose homeostasis. We have developed unique mouse models allowing neuron-specific manipulation of genes regulating these processes.