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Passion for Reward and Motivation Research
Dedicated to Groundbreaking Research
HentgesLab makes extensive use of transgenic and knockout animals. Therefore, we do a lot of genotyping to identify modified animals.
Transgenic animals often express fluorescent labels in cells of interest so they can be identified for electrophysiologic recordings, carry modified channels and receptors so we can manipulate cells of interest, or are lacking or over-expressing proteins of interest so we can better determine the role of these proteins in the cells we are studying.
Inspire Innovation
We are working to understand some synaptic changes that might cause, or result from, anorexia using an animal model where limited food presentation and excessive activity together lead to rapid weight loss in rodents: activity-based anorexia. While not a perfect model for anorexia nervosa in humans, the two likely share some common neuronal underpinnings.
Empower Change
We also examine mRNA expression using fluorescent in situ hybridization and RNAscope to detect changes in RNA that underlie, or result from, altered energy balance or opioid signaling.
