Deniz Atasoy has received his B.S degree at Bilkent University, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics. In 2001-2007 he received his PhD at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA, Center for Basic Neuroscience Research. He received Outstanding Young Scientist Awards from the Turkish Academy of Sciences (TÜBA) in 2014. He also received Eczacibasi Foundation Medical Award, Marie S. Curie, (IF) fellowship and The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK) fellowship in 2015. He has authored over 20 publications in journals including Nature, Cell, Science and Nature Neuroscience. He is Assistant Professor in Istanbul Medipol University, School of Medicine, Department of Physiology.
Optogenetic Dissection of Neuronal Circuits Regulating Feeding Behavior
Dr. Deniz Atasoy
İstanbul Medipol University, Medical School, Department of Physiology, İstanbul
New tools for mapping and manipulating molecularly defined neural circuits have improved the understanding of how the central nervous system regulates appetite. Activation of starvation-sensitive AGRP neurons can rapidly elicit behavioral state similar to food deprivation, which present an entry point for reverse-engineering neural circuits for hunger. We mapped functional synaptic interactions of AGRP neurons with multiple cell populations in mice and probed the contribution of these distinct circuits to feeding behaviour using optogenetic and pharmacogenetic techniques. We have also developed tools for detailed structural analysis of AGRP neuronal connections using serial-section electron microscopy. Our results characterized some basic features of functional and anatomical circuit organization for AGRP axon projections.
