Mount Sinai Center for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology

The Neurohormone Program is involved in a wide range of projects related to this goal. Some of the more prominent studies are looking at:

TSH and the Brain-Hypothalamus Barrier

The brain-hypothalamus barrier is formed, in part, by specialized cells called tanycytes. These cells express very high levels of TSH receptors. The group is studying how TSH signaling in tanycytes contributes to the permeability of the brain-hypothalamus barrier during hunger.

Ghrelin, Stress, and Disease

The hormone ghrelin increases the drive to eat, but receptors are found in many other brain areas with no direct links to appetite or eating behaviors. When people are chronically stressed, their ghrelin levels increase. Researchers are exploring the mechanism by which this works, with the intent to develop new approaches to obesity treatment as well as stress-sensitive psychiatric conditions, such as post-traumatic stress disorder and major depressive disorder.

Long-term Effects of Stress

Stress increases the risk of many types of disease. The Goosens Lab is performing longitudinal studies to characterize the effect of stress on behavior and physiology in the lab during the weeks and months after the major stress ceases, in order to design more effective therapies for improving comorbid health conditions.

Central Actions of FSH in Obesity and Alzheimer’s Disease

FSH receptors are expressed at high levels throughout the brain, including regions that control memory and metabolism. Current work seeks to understand how elevated FSH levels contribute to the genesis and progression of Alzheimer’s disease through an action on FSH receptors in the brain, as well as how FSH can alter central and peripheral regulators of metabolism. This work suggests that reducing FSH signaling could promote healthy body weight and prevent and treat Alzheimer’s disease pathology.