Andrea Zsombok, PhD
Professor
Education & Affiliations
Areas of Expertise
Research
Dr. Zsombok’s laboratory focuses on the understanding of brain circuits involved in the regulation of visceral organ functions in health and metabolic disorders. The laboratory investigates hypothalamic and brainstem circuits that control metabolism (e.g., glucose metabolism) and examines synaptic organization and plasticity of neurons within a given circuit (e.g., brain-liver). Ongoing research focuses on transient receptor potential vanilloid type 1 (TRPV1) and its contribution to glucose metabolism. Her laboratory uses electrophysiological as well as anatomical, immunostaining, retrograde tracer approaches in combination with pharmacogenetic and optogenetic approaches. Dr. Zsombok is a member of the Tulane Brain Institute, Tulane Center for Aging and Tulane Hypertension and Renal Center of Excellence.
Lab Members:
Roslyn Davis - lab research technician
Adrien JR Molinas – postdoctoral fellow
Contributions
PubMed listing for Andrea Zsombok, PhD
Interests
- The effects of diabetic conditions on the brain
- Regulation of different visceral functions including glucose homeostasis with the central nervous system
Awards & Recognitions
Andrea Zsombok, an associate professor of physiology in the Tulane University School of Medicine and member of the Tulane Brain Institute Executive Committee, recently received a $334,000 supplement to her current National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant that supports research into the brain’s role in diabetes. Diabetes is associated with an increased risk for all dementias, including Alzheimer’s disease.
