# Assessing mechanistic relationships of central amygdala neuron activity and glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonism

> **NIH NIH F31** · UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM · 2024 · $40,264

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Obesity and diabetes are an epidemic in the United States with more than third of US adults now defined as
obese. Some of the most effective therapies to manage glucose homeostasis and weight target the glucagon-
like peptide 1 receptor (GLP-1R). Many studies demonstrate that systemic GLP-1R agonists produce changes
in appetite and hypophagia through the activation of GLP-1Rs in the brain, where their expression is widespread.
Recent efforts to characterize the role of GLP-1Rs in specific brain nuclei and circuits have mainly focused on
the hypothalamus and hindbrain, whereas the function of GLP-1Rs in limbic systems like the amygdala have
received less attention and study. The amygdala, the brain’s emotional processing core, is well known for its role
in fear and anxiety, but recent data from our lab and others have demonstrated a clear role for positive valence,
promoting appetitive food-seeking behavior, and driving food intake. In a recent publication, our lab described
the expression of GLP-1Rs in the central subnucleus of the amygdala (CeA) and characterized the neural
physiology of GLP-1R-expressing neurons. In this fellowship, we will pursue a functional analysis of 1) GLP-1Rs
on the control of neural activity in the CeA and 2) determine the requisite role of CeA neural activity-changes on
the hypophagic actions of peripherally administered GLP-1R agonists. Our studies will have important
implications for understanding the cellular and molecular mechanism of action of now widely prescribed obesity
and type II diabetes therapeutics.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10824810
- **Project number:** 1F31DK138767-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM
- **Principal Investigator:** Miguel Duran
- **Activity code:** F31 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $40,264
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-05-08 → 2025-04-29

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10824810

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10824810, Assessing mechanistic relationships of central amygdala neuron activity and glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonism (1F31DK138767-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10824810. Licensed CC0.

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