João Duarte

Our research

Our purpose is to understand molecular determinants of cognitive impairment associated with metabolic disease, metabolic syndrome component such as including obesity, dyslipidaemia, hypertension, insulin resistance and hyperglycaemia. Our team is interested in understanding regulation of neuron-glia metabolic interactions, how energy metabolism regulation supports synapses, and how they adapt to metabolic disease.

We work with cells and tissue preparations for investigating specific biochemical processes, and we study living rodent models for examining brain metabolism structure and function, as well as whole-body physiology with intact interactions between the brain and peripheral organs.

Aims

To identify novel pathways of brain energy metabolism regulation that can be targeted by pharmacological or nutritional interventions, or by life-style interventions, with the goal of improving brain function in metabolic disease.

Strengths of the group

• Brain energy metabolism
• Magnetic resonance methods
• Metabolomic analyses

Impact

Currently, João Duarte’s research team is contributing to unveil novel mechanisms of insulin-dependent energy metabolism regulation. Understanding how energy metabolism supports synaptic activity will enable us to devise novel therapeutic strategies that directly target brain metabolic regulation for neuroprotection and improvement of brain function in metabolic disease.

| Research Output

Affiliations

• Wallenberg Center for Molecular Medicine 
• Multipark Lund University

Social media

• Twitter
• Google scholar