Our lab is interested in understanding the neuronal microcircuits in the brain that drive specific behaviors. We are focused on addressing the following questions:  

1. How are the circuits regulating energy balance and reproduction organized in the brain? 

2. Which neuropeptides/neuromodulators are employed in these circuits, and what are the underlying mechanisms?  

Microcircuitry in the preoptic area and hypothalamus is critically important for the neuroendocrine control of pituitary and vegetative functions mediated by the hypophysial hormones. We investigate the hypothalamic mechanisms mediating energy homeostasis and reproduction. We employ rodents, teleost, and avian models to understand the nature of neuropeptides that mediate the underlying processes.  We describe a detailed neuroanatomical map of thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH)-containing neurons in the brain of catfish and zebra finch. The TRH neurons in the preoptic area of teleosts regulate hypophysiotropic dopamine neurons and contribute to the regulation of reproduction in teleosts.  In the zebra finch, we demonstrate a dynamic and rapid energy-state-dependent regulation of hypophysiotropic TRH neurons in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus by neuropeptide Y (NPY).  Application of the fish, bird, and rodent models permits insights into the evolutionary trends in the organization of hypothalamic microcircuits in the brain of vertebrates.
 

An interaction between the hypothalamic feeding-related neurons and the mesolimbic dopaminergic system plays a key role in the regulation of energy balance.  We demonstrate that dopamine neurons in the ventral tegmental area in zebra finch modulate the behavior depending on the prevailing energy state and that NPY and CART seem to exercise a modulatory effect.