Research

The Azevedo Lab seeks to understand the neural basis of eating behavior in mammals. In the lab we aim to study how emotional experiences, such as trauma or reward, are processed and integrated in the brain to control eating. Our main goal is to determine the circuit, cellular and molecular mechanisms by which emotions control eating behavior and physiology. Ultimately, we aim to understand and define novel molecular targets involved in Obesity and metabolic disorders, psychiatric diseases, such as Eating Disorders, PTSD and Anxiety. Using the mouse limbic system as our primary model, our laboratory employs a combination of behavioral, molecular, anatomical and imaging tools.