Seminar
Abstract: We are interested in identifying central glucose sensing neurons that control glucose homeostasis and feeding behaviour. We are identifying and characterizing such neurons, based on their expressing Glut2 or glucokinase, two genes involved in glucose sensing in pancreatic beta-cells and which are also widely expressed in neuronal populations. Combining electrophysiological, optogenetic and physiological investigations we identify the circuits these neurons are involved in and the physiological functions they control. We are also identifying novel genes involved in the central response to hypoglycemia by performing cQTL and eQTL analysis of the response to hypoglycemia in genetic reference populations (BXD mice). These data provide an initial description of a network of glucose sensing neurons controlling metabolic health.