Maia Kokoeva

Maia Kokoeva, Ph.D., Assistant Professor McGill University Department of Medicine Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism Royal Victoria Hospital Fraser Labs, Room H5-42 687 Pine Avenue West Montreal, QC H3A 1A1 Tel: (514) 934-1934 Ext 35360 Fax: (514) 843-2819 maia [dot] kokoeva [at] mcgill [dot] ca (E-mail)

Research:

Central control of energy balance; Neuroplasticity in the hypothalamus and related sites; Properties and in vivo role of adult-born hypothalamic cells

While much is known about the molecular basis of hypothalamic control in mammalian energy homeostasis, neural circuit plasticity including changes in neural cell numbers has only recently been implicated in body weight regulation. We want to decipher the mechanistic underpinnings of long-term changes in body weight set points by exploring plastic changes in the brain circuits that control feeding.

We have previously shown that the neuropeptide ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) not only induces long-term weight loss but also stimulates massive cell proliferation in the adult mouse hypothalamus including centers of feeding control such as the arcuate nucleus. Pharmacological blockade of CNTF-induced cell proliferation abolished the long-term weight loss indicating that the sustained anorexic effect of CNTF relies on adult-born neural cells. More recently we have demonstrated that cells proliferate on an ongoing basis in the adult hypothalamus, even in the absence of external cues such as growth factor administration. We are currently investigating the role of these constitutively born cells in energy homeostasis by employing in vivo cell ablation approaches in conjunction with electrophysiological and ultrastructural studies.

The long-term goal of my lab is to mechanistically understand why some humans can maintain their body weights strikingly constant over most of their adult lives while others are confronted with gradual or abrupt increases in fat mass. Our studies may thus provide new insight in the etiology of obesity and ultimately help to develop new strategies for the prevention and treatment of obesity-related diseases.

Selected Publications:

Kokoeva MV, Yin H, Flier JS. Evidence for constitutive neural cell proliferation in the adult murine hypothalamus. J. Comp. Neurol. 505: 209-220 (2007).

Shi H, Kokoeva MV, Inouye K, Tzameli I, Yin H, Flier JS. Toll like receptor 4: A link between innate immunity and fatty acid-induced insulin resistance. J. Clin. Invest. 116: 3015-25 (2006).

Kokoeva MV, Yin H, Flier JS. Neurogenesis in the hypothalamus of adult mice: potential role in energy balance. Science 310: 679-83 (2005).