The International Congress of Neuroendocrinology was held this week at Univ Pittsburgh- some very interesting things were dicussed there .They have some nice summaries, including 'lay summaries' of research on hormones important in stress, eating, etc. A “new†neuropeptide (neuropeptide S, NPS) is described that looks very interesting; NPS induces wakefulness, stimulates activity and lessens anxiety. The peptide and its receptors are just being characterized with respect to location, function, etc.
Dr. Bloom’s group recently determined that NPS also decreases food intake (at least for the short term). Determining exactly how this peptide mediates its effects will be the next step.
Neuropeptide s stimulates the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis and inhibits food intake. Smith KL, Patterson M, Dhillo WS, Patel SR, Semjonous NM, Gardiner JV, Ghatei MA, Bloom SR. Endocrinology. 2006 Jul;147(7):3510-8.
Theresa Strong
Theresa V. Strong, Ph.D., received a B.S. from Rutgers University and a Ph.D. in Medical Genetics from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). After postdoctoral studies with Dr. Francis Collins at the University of Michigan, she joined the UAB faculty, leading a research lab focused on gene therapy for cancer and directing UAB’s Vector Production Facility. Theresa is one of the founding members of FPWR and has directed FPWR’s grant program since its inception. In 2016, she transitioned to a full-time position as Director of Research Programs at FPWR. She remains an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Genetics at UAB. She and her husband Jim have four children, including a son with PWS.
