Positions
- Assistant Professor
-
Pediatrics
Neurology
Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, TX US
- TCH faculty scholar
-
Texas Children's Hospital
Addresses
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute (Office)
-
1250 Moursund St.
Room: 0950.21
Houston, TX 77030
United States
Education
- Postdoctoral Fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine
- 08/2023 - Houston, Texas United States
- PhD from Zhejiang University
- 06/2018 - Hangzhou, Zhejiang China
- Neurobiology
- BS from Nanjing Agricultural University
- 06/2012 - Nanjing, Jiangsu China
- Biotechnology
Professional Statement
The research in our lab is primarily focused on understanding how the brain senses and integrates internal physiological signals and external environmental cues to maintain homeostasis, such as energy homeostasis. We aim to dissect the neural circuits and molecular pathways that govern fundamental homeostatic processes, such as feeding, thermoregulation, and immune function. In particular, we are interested in how dysfunction within these systems contributes to the development of pathological conditions, including obesity, metabolic disorders, and immune-related diseases. Through a multidisciplinary approach that combines systems neuroscience, molecular biology, and physiology, we seek to uncover the central mechanisms that link brain function to whole-body homeostasis and disease.Websites
Selected Publications
- Liu Y, Liu H, Wong HK, et.al., Xu Y*, He Y*. "Prolonged exposure to food odors suppresses feeding via an olfactory bulb-to-hypothalamus circuit." Nat Commun. 2025 Aug 23; Pubmed PMID: 40849319
- Liu H, Li VL, Liu Q, Liu Y, et al., He Y *, Long JZ*, Xu Y*. "Lac-Phe induces hypophagia by inhibiting AgRP neurons in mice." Nat Metab. 2025 Sep 16; Pubmed PMID: 40957996
- Liu, H., Liu, Z., Wong, H. K., Xu, N., Liu, Q., Li, Y., ... & He, Y. "Therapeutic strategies against metabolic imbalance in a male mouse model with 5-HT2CR loss-of-function." Endocrinology. 2024 May 27;165(7) Pubmed PMID: 38815086
- Liu, H., Bean, J. C., Li, Y., Yu, M., Ginnard, O. Z., Conde, K. M., ... He, Y* & Xu, Y*. "Distinct basal forebrain-originated neural circuits promote homoeostatic feeding and suppress hedonic feeding in male mice." Nat Metab. 2024 Aug 7; Pubmed PMID: 39112722
- He Y*, Brouwers B*, Liu H*, et al. "Human loss-of-function variants in the serotonin 2C receptor associated with obesity and maladaptive behavior.." Nat Med. 2022; Pubmed PMID: 36536256
- Li V L*, He Y*, Contrepois K, et al. "An exercise-inducible metabolite that suppresses feeding and obesity." Nature. 2022 Jun 15;
- He Y, Wei M, Wu Y, Qin H, Li W, Ma X, Cheng J, Ren J, Shen Y, Chen Z, Sun B, Huang FD, Shen Y, Zhou YD. "Amyloid β oligomers suppress excitatory transmitter release via presynaptic depletion of phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate.." Nat Commun.. 2019 Mar 13; Pubmed PMID: 30867420
- Li, Y*., Cacciottolo, T. M*., Yin, N*., He, Y*., Liu, H., Liu, H., ... & Farooqi, I. S. "Loss of transient receptor potential channel 5 causes obesity and postpartum depression." Cell. 2024 Jul 2; Pubmed PMID: 38959890
Funding
- Targeting olfactory neural pathways to combat obesity - #DK140538
- $2,018,470.00 ( 09/01/2024 - 08/31/2029 ) Grant funding from NIH
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