NS 5150 - Obesity and the Regulation of Body Weight

Spring. 3 credits. Student option grading.

Recommended prerequisite: NS 1150 or one semester Intro Biology lecture (BIOMG 1350, BIOG 1440, or equivalent), plus Biochemistry (NS 3200, BIOMG 3300, or equivalent). Enrollment limited to: juniors, seniors, and graduate students during pre-enroll. Co-meets with NS 3150/PSYCH 3150.

D. Berry.

Obesity is a complex biological and socioeconomical problem that is multifaceted within each of these broad descriptions. This course provides a comprehensive overview of various influencers and effectors of obesity and body weight regulation. We will examine energy expenditure, genetics, environment, organ physiology, neurological control of hunger, food choice structure, eating behavior, and health disparities. Additionally, this course will examine biomedical and surgical intervention of obesity and associated sequelae. The course is designed to contain lectures with presentation of primary literature and class discussion. We will also have guest lectures to discuss specific topics on obesity and the regulation of body weight!

Outcome 1: Demonstrate an integrative understanding that adipose tissue is an endocrine organ with multiple locations that regulate many major physiologic and metabolic responses such as appetite, reproduction, glucose and fat metabolism and sensing, and thermogenesis all which control body weight regulation and obesogenic responses.

Outcome 2: Describe and synthesize the relationship between lipid metabolism, lipogenesis, and lipolysis and its effect on body composition and metabolic performance.

Outcome 3: Synthesize factual information to understand and relate the metabolic cross-talk between adipose tissue and other organ crosstalk to regulate physiology vs pathology.

Outcome 4: Create a conceptual framework of how genetics and the environment control weight, eating behavior, and metabolism and describe how taste, brain, and gut sensing control body weight and metabolism.

Outcome 5: Synthesize and create factual framework to devise pharmacological, dietary, psych/soc, health disparities, surgical, and environmental strategies to counteract obesogenic cues.