Neurobiology and Obesity Lab (NBO)
Claudio Perez-Leighton. Claudio received his B.S. in Biochemistry in 2005 from Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile and his PhD from the University of Minnesota in 2012 after receiving a Fulbright Scholarship. At the University of Minnesota, he studied under Dr. Catherine Kotz and Dr. Charles Billington focusing on neuronal mechanisms mediating resistance to obesity. He currently is an Associate Professor at The Faculty of Biological Sciences, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile.
CURRENT MEMBERS
Luis Luarte. Graduate Student (Interdisciplinary Neuroscience UC). His graduate thesis work focuses on the effect of food uncertainty in the mechanisms that regulate food choice.
Rodrigo Ramirez. Graduate Student (Physiology Program UC). His works focuses on the interaction between leptin and GLP1 on motivated behavior (Anillo Grant 2020 - 2023).
Gabriela Larenas. Undergraduate Thesis in Biochemistry (UC). She worked on the effect of sex on food choice in humans (Anillo Grant 2020 - 2023).
Josefina Jara. Undergraduate Thesis in Biochemistry (UC). She worked on the effect of opioid dynorphin and kappa opioid receptor and motivated behavior.
Magdalena Figura. Undergraduate Thesis in Biochemistry (UC). She worked on implementing Clarity for routing orexin neurons in mouse brains.
FORMER MEMBERS
Carolina Sandoval. Graduate Student (Physiology Program UC). She worked on the effect of opioid dynorphin and orexin peptides on and motivated behavior.
Pamela Mattar.Postdoctoral researcher (Fondecyt Postdoctoral Grant # 3190416). She worked on the effects of obesity and unhealthy eating on the central and peripheral actions of GLP1.
Sara Caballero. Master's Degree (Clinical Nutrition UC). She worked on the influence of context on food choice in humans.
Tatiana Guarnieri. Undergraduate Thesis in Biochemistry (UC). She worked on the interaction between orexin and dynorphin peptides on hedonic intake.
Tabita Barrientos. Masters Program in Biotechnology (Universidad Andres Bello). She worked on the neuronal mechanisms of action of non-opioid dynoprhin peptides in the paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus.
Ricardo Mella. Masters Program in Biotechnology (Universidad Andres Bello). He worked on the modulation of the activity of GLP1 by the obesity environment.