Researchers from the Centre for Neuroendocrinology were successful in acquiring grants for two projects during this year's Health Research Council funding round.
A novel brain pathway involved in the pathogenesis of obesity and type-2 diabetes
This grant ($1,199,664) is led by Prof Dave Grattan together with associate investigators Associate Professor Alex Tups, Dr Mohammed Rizwan, and Prof Peter Shepherd (University of Auckland). The project will investigate underlying mechanisms of obesity and type-2 diabetes, disorders with a high prevalence and disproportionally affecting Māori and Pacific people. Specifically, the researchers will determine how a signalling pathway in the brain (the Wnt pathway) is involved in regulating appetite and blood glucose levels. This research will provide a better understanding of the mechanisms of obesity and type-2 diabetes.
Visualizing and controlling the cause of hot flushes at menopause
Approximately 70% of women experience hot flushes during menopause and these often debilitating symptoms can markedly reduce the quality of life. Hot flushes are caused by declining levels of ovarian steroid hormones, which in turn are hypothesised to cause hyperactivity of certain neurons (kisspeptin neurons) in the brain. Dr Jenny Clarkson and Prof Dave Grattan with the help of this grant ($1,198,704) will evaluate the efficacy of non-steroidal hormone therapies in suppressing this hyperactivity and their effect on body and skin temperatures.