“Neural Mechanisms that Control Food Intake and Metabolism”

Speaker:

Martin Meyers, M.D., Ph.D.
Marilyn H. Vincent Professor of Diabetes Research
Professor of Internal Medicine and Molecular & Integrative Physiology
Director, Michigan Diabetes Research & Training Center
Michigan Neuroscience Institute
University of Michigan

About Martin Meyers:

Dr. Myers’ research focuses on the processes that enable the body to respond normally to insulin and how problems in these pathways contribute to the development of insulin resistance and diabetes. His laboratory specifically concentrates on the crucial role played by nerve centers in the unconscious part of the brain — what Myers calls “glycemic control centers” — that regulate the body’s ability to respond to insulin.

The Myers lab focuses on the actions of the key metabolic hormone leptin. While best known for regulating body weight, leptin plays a crucial role in regulating insulin action and blood sugar via the glycemic control centers of the brain. Furthermore, much of the control of blood sugar by leptin is independent of body weight control.