معرفی
Dr. William F. Colmers is a Professor and AHFMR Medical Scientist at the University of Alberta. His research focuses on neuropeptide signaling in the brain, particularly Neuropeptide Y (NPY), and its roles in energy balance, obesity, cachexia, and anxiety. He leads a laboratory funded by CIHR and NIH, exploring mechanisms linking NPY to stress resilience and hypothalamic regulation. His work spans neuroendocrinology, synaptic physiology, and genetic models of metabolic disorders.
Education:
- B.A. Earth & Planetary Sciences, Johns Hopkins University (1974)
- M.A. Earth & Planetary Sciences and Biophysics, Johns Hopkins University (1975)
- Dr. rer. nat. Zoology, University of Regensburg, Germany (1980)
Research Interests:
- Action of NPY in hypothalamic nuclei and amygdala
- Neurobiological mechanisms of obesity and cachexia
- Stress resilience and anxiety modulation via NPY receptors
- Neuronal projections regulating energy expenditure
Lab & Funding: The Colmers lab is located in the Medical Sciences Building (Office 9-36) and uses advanced electrophysiological and neuroanatomical techniques. Current funding includes grants from Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Key Themes in Publications: His work reveals NPY’s dual roles in promoting food intake and modulating stress responses, with recent emphasis on stress resilience through amygdala circuitry and hypothalamic metabolic control. Studies also address the neurobiological underpinnings of chronic disease-related weight loss (cachexia) and genetic obesity models.
