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Neurobiology Invited Seminar

yeka aponte headshot
Tuesday, October 13, 2020
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
Yeka Aponte; hosted by Court Hull
Neurobiology Invited Seminar Series

Duke Neurobiology welcomes Yeka Aponte, PhD, Principal Investigator for NIDA/NIH and Assistant Professor, Johns Hopkins University Neuroscience department, to give her talk "Hypothalamic cell types and circuits that drive survival behaviors"
For connection info to her Zoom seminar, email d.shipman@duke.edu.
Research interests: Our interest is to understand how genetically-identified cell types and their projections drive behaviors essential for survival. Using the mouse as our model system, we apply optogenetics and chemogenetics to manipulate neuronal circuits in awake, behaving mice. In addition, we use a combination of electrophysiology, two-photon fluorescence endomicroscopy, and behavioral assays to elucidate the neuronal basis of survival behaviors, such as feeding, and to determine how these neuronal circuits drive the rewarding and addictive nature of food intake. Ultimately, understanding the mechanisms regulating food intake and the rewarding and addictive nature of food will enhance our ability to battle disorders such as obesity, diabetes, anorexia, bulimia, and addiction.