Researchers will present findings on the prevention and treatment of obesity and the brain’s role in food intake and physical activity
Kent State University’s second annual neuroscience symposium will cover the latest research findings on “The Neuroscience of Obesity” on April 3-4 at the Kent State Hotel and Conference Center located in downtown Kent, Ohio.
In a keynote address on April 3 at 7:15 p.m., Michael Rosenbaum, M.D., an internationally renowned expert on obesity from Columbia University Medical Center, will talk about “Body Weight Regulation: Why Is It So Hard to Keep the Pounds Off?” Researcher presentations on April 4 from 9 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. will cover topics such as the brain’s control over food intake, how the brain modulates calorie use and obesity prevention and treatment.
All presentations and a poster session at 3:15 p.m. on April 4 are free and open to the public. Registration is required.
“More than a third of children and more than two-thirds of adults in the U.S. are overweight or obese, a public health problem that is drawing new research attention from neuroscientists,” said Grant McGimpsey, Ph.D., Kent State’s vice president for research. “This symposium will foster an exchange of ideas as scientists look for solutions to this critical healthcare problem.”
Rosenbaum’s keynote address will focus on obesity as a biological disease and the implications for treatment and prevention.
His research, funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Nutrition Science Initiative, is on body weight regulation in adults and the development and prevention of obesity in children. He is a professor of clinical pediatrics and medicine at Columbia University Medical Center and the author of more than 90 research publications.
Speakers on April 4 include Antonio Convit, M.D., of New York University of Medicine; Rajita Sinha, Ph.D., of Yale University; Lei Cao, Ph.D., of the Ohio State University College of Medicine; and Colleen Novak, Ph.D., of Kent State.
The event is sponsored by Kent State’s Division of Research and Sponsored Programs, and the Department of Biological Sciences and Department of Psychology in Kent State’s College of Arts and Sciences. Northeast Ohio Medical University is also providing support.
For a full program and registration information, visit www.kent.edu/neuroscience or call 330-672-2692.
With nearly 40 neuroscientists working across multiple departments, Kent State’s interdisciplinary research on neurological diseases and conditions covers subjects such as obesity, traumatic brain injury, the effects of aging, addiction and pain management.
For more information about research at Kent State, visit www.kent.edu/research.
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Media Contacts:
Cindy Weiss, lweiss4@kent.edu, 330-672-0731
Emily Vincent, evincen2@kent.edu, 330-672-8595