Abstract

The brain has long been recognized as a critical regulator of whole-body metabolism, and in recent years, its central role in the development of obesity and metabolic disorders has become more evident. To better understand how the brain mediates these conditions, we have identified neural pathways involved in obesity. Today, I will talk about one of these pathways, which is mediated by the small GTPase Rap1, and its role in energy and glucose balance. I will present evidence linking the gut hormone GIP to the brain via neuronal Rap1 signaling. In addition, I will talk about our recent findings providing genetic evidence that this brain pathway may be targeted by metformin and mediate its antidiabetic effects.

Speaker Bio

Dr. Makoto Fukuda received his Ph.D. from the University of Tokyo and completed postdoctoral training at Harvard Medical School. He is currently an Associate Professor in the Children’s Nutrition Research Center, Department of Pediatrics, at Baylor College of Medicine. His research program utilizes various approaches such as mouse genetics, chemogenetics, metabolic phenotyping, organotypic brain slices, and neurobiological techniques. Ongoing research projects involve studying signaling mechanisms that regulate neural leptin sensitivity, a gut-brain signal that promotes obesity, and a novel neural signaling pathway of metformin.