Gina Leinninger

Gina Leinninger is a Red Cedar Distinguished Professor at the Department of Physiology, Michigan State University, and holds affiliations with the Neuroscience Program and Genetics & Genome Sciences Program. She serves as Graduate Director of the Molecular, Cellular, and Integrative Physiology Graduate Program at the BioMolecular Science Gateway.

• Research Focus: Neurophysiological mechanisms of lateral hypothalamic area (LHA) neurons in energy balance regulation
• Key Techniques: Novel mouse models, neuronal tract tracing, and neuroregulation technologies

Her research investigates how LHA neuronal populations (neurotensin, orexin, leptin receptor-expressing) respond to metabolic stimuli like adiposity signals, dehydration, and exercise, and how they modulate dopamine circuits to influence hedonic feeding, locomotion, and weight regulation. Current work explores therapeutic potential of LHA signaling for obesity and metabolic disorders.

Recent publications reveal trends in

• Neurotensin-dopamine interaction
• Sex-dependent neural circuits
• Metabolic stimulus response mapping
• Neuronal projection analysis
• High-fat diet behavioral models
• Neurobiological basis of comorbid obesity-pain

Her lab's work connects LHA dysfunction to pathogenesis of obesity through advanced methodologies in neuronal regulation and metabolic signaling.