My laboratory works on understanding how the brain controls blood pressure and energy balance. More specifically, our studies focus on how the renin-angiotensin system, and in particular the protective hormone angiotensin-(1-7), interacts with the brain to improve blood pressure and insulin sensitivity in cardiovascular-related diseases such as hypertension and obesity. These studies use a variety of approaches in mice including whole animal in vivo cardiovascular monitoring (e.g., direct arterial blood pressure, radiotelemetry), pharmacologic and spectral analysis of autonomic function, and measurement of insulin action (e.g., hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamps, glucose and insulin tolerance testing) and energy balance (e.g., body composition, indirect calorimetry). Specific projects ongoing in the laboratory in mouse models include studying the ability of angiotensin-(1-7) to treat and prevent development of diet-induced hypertension and insulin resistance, the neural mechanisms involved in these effects, and potential sex differences. We also have translational studies examining the effects of acute intravenous angiotensin-(1-7) infusion on blood pressure, sympathetic activity, insulin sensitivity, and energy expenditure in patients with obesity.
Additionally, my laboratory is interested in understanding mechanisms and optimal treatment strategies for patients with cardiovascular autonomic disorders including primary autonomic failure, Parkinson’s disease, and postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome. A particular area of interest has been understanding the disabling cognitive dysfunction or “brain fog” that often accompanies postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, and strategies to improve cognition in these patients.