Directory of Experts
Details for Dr Nina Balthasar
| Personal details | |
| Name | Dr Nina Balthasar |
| Job title | Senior Lecturer |
| Department | School of Physiology and Pharmacology University of Bristol |
| Contact details | This expert can be contacted via the University of Bristol Public Relations
Office. To help us deal with your request, please mention the Directory of Experts when contacting the Public Relations Office. work+44 (0)117 928 7777 email: public-relations@bristol.ac.uk |
| Qualifications | BSc(Bochum), PhD(Lond) |
| Professional details | |
| Keywords | obesity metabolic disorders health central nervous system body energy homeostasis body weight weight |
| Areas of expertise | Obesity and its related metabolic disorders are among the most pressing of today’s health-care concerns. The epidemic proportions of obesity (23.6% of UK adults are classed as ‘obese’ today) highlight the acute need for scientific advances to identify new therapeutic approaches. However, to identify targets for these novel therapies a more detailed understanding of how the central nervous system controls body energy homeostasis is urgently needed. Obesity is the result of an imbalance between energy intake and energy spending. Specialized brain structures, such as the hypothalamus, can sense the body’s energy status, integrate this information and elicit an appropriate response to the rest of the body. Recent research has begun to unravel some of the neuronal pathways regulating body weight, but the exact mechanisms by which signals from the rest of the body are sensed and translated into a coordinated response are still unclear. |