The Neurobiology of Hunger

Hunger is controlled by specialized neural circuits in the brain that transform homeostatic needs into motivated behaviors. How this transformation is performed remains poorly understood. I will describe recent work from my lab investigating the molecules, cells, and activity dynamics that underlie the neural control of feeding behavior.

Zack Knight is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physiology and a member of the Kavli Institute for Fundamental Neuroscience at UCSF. His laboratory investigates the neurobiology of homeostasis, especially the neural mechanisms that govern hunger, thirst, and thermoregulation.