Tionna Ouellette

The hypothalamus is a heterogenous brain region which receives and integrates signals from multiple sensory systems and relays that information to brain regions which form an appropriate behavioral outcome. Within the hypothalamus, the arcuate nucleus is well characterized for its role in regulation of ingestive behaviors. As a student, my thesis work aims to understand what brain regions integrate with the arcuate nucleus or other nuclei in the hypothalamus to produce behaviors related to food intake.

My project utilizes mouse strains which fluorescently label neurons that are activated in response to feeding behavior. This unbiased approach allows us to investigate long range connectivity to the hypothalamus as well as microscale connections within the arcuate nucleus at the resolution of single neurons. After developing models of neural connectivity patterns, we can then ask how these connections change with the type of behavior being performed, and to what degree diet affects those connections.

These methods, in combination with other techniques will bring understanding of neuronal genetics, morphology, and physiology which can be altered by diet induced obesity and comorbid disease states, like Type II Diabetes.

Tionna Ouellette on ORCID