Faculty A-Z

Michiru Hirasawa
Professor of Neurosciences, PhD, DVMBioMedical Sciences
Phone:
709-864-6573 (phone), 709-864-6007 (fax), 709-864-6572 (lab)
Email:
michiru@mun.ca
Address:
Health Sciences Centre, Room 4337 (office), Room 4334 (lab)
709-864-6573 (phone), 709-864-6007 (fax), 709-864-6572 (lab)
Email:
michiru@mun.ca
Address:
Health Sciences Centre, Room 4337 (office), Room 4334 (lab)
Research Interests
Obesity Facts
Worldwide: > 1.9 billion overweight adults (>600 million obese) in 2014 (WHO)
Canada: 62% men and 46% women were overweight or obese in 2014 (Statistics Canada)
Obesity is a major risk factor for: type 2 diabetes, hypertension, stroke, cancer, depression, etc.
Combat Obesity: Our goal
To determine the cellular/molecular mechanisms underlying central control of energy balance (food intake and energy expenditure), which will identify new therapeutic targets for obesity and eating disorders.
Combat Obesity: Our approach
Interrogation of fundamental mechanisms underlying body weight regulation by the brain
- Synaptic physiology
- Ion channel functions
- Transporters
- Astrocyte-neuron communication
- How does the brain change in obesogenic conditions?
- How do these changes contribute to obesity?