Marcelo Rigon Zimmer

Marcelo Rigon Zimmer is an Associate Research Scientist in the Department of Comparative Medicine at Yale School of Medicine. He holds a PhD in Biochemistry from UFRGS (2019) and a BS in Pharmacy from PUCRS, Brazil (2012).

Education:

• PhD in Biochemistry, UFRGS, Brazil (2019)
• BS in Pharmacy, PUCRS, Brazil (2012)

Dr. Zimmer's research focuses on understanding the neurobiological mechanisms underlying infant-mother bonding in mammals. His work investigates how infants develop unique bonds with their mothers through behavioral studies and advanced neuroscience techniques across multiple rodent species including mice, rats, and guinea pigs. His research builds upon his doctoral work which questioned the role of hypothalamic hunger-promoting Agrp neurons beyond their canonical function, revealing their involvement in stereotypical behavior and infant bonding.

His research interests span Developmental Neuroscience, Behavioral Neuroscience, Neurobiology of Social Behavior, Hypothalamic Function, and Infant-Mother Bonding Mechanisms. His publications demonstrate how Agrp neurons regulate diverse processes from neonatal behavior to metabolic functions and cognitive processes, with significant implications for understanding metabolic disorders and psychiatric conditions involving dysregulation of energy balance and social behaviors.

Scientific Awards:

• Best Ph.D. thesis in Biomedical Sciences II in 2020 (Prêmio Capes de Tese), Brazil

Dr. Zimmer collaborates extensively with researchers including Marcelo de Oliveira Dietrich, Tamas Horvath, Jeremy Bober, Zhongwu Liu, Antonio Oliveira Fonseca, and Flora Vaccarino. His research is conducted through the Laboratory of Physiology of Behavior, where he applies state-of-the-art neuroscience techniques to study infant behavior and neural mechanisms.