Office Address: Gilmer 414

Education

B.A., Bowdoin College, 1999
Ph.D., Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, 2006
Postdoctoral, Johns Hopkins University, 2006-2008
Postdoctoral, University of Washington, 2008-2013

Research Interests

How does the brain decide when to eat? In a world of constant food availability, understanding how the brain prioritizes signals to drive feeding behavior is crucial. Our lab is dedicated to uncovering the neural circuits that regulate essential behaviors like feeding and sleep, with a special focus on how modern societal pressures—such as easy access to food—disrupt these processes.

Using advanced genetic tools, real-time neurophysiology, and behavioral studies in mice, we map the brain pathways that govern decision-making around food intake. Our recent discovery of a neural connection between the brain’s reward centers and the circadian clock revealed how this pathway drives snacking behavior and recovery from jet lag. We also identified a key molecular player responsible for anticipating timed meals, a breakthrough that opens new avenues for treating diet-induced disorders.

Now, we’re leveraging our expertise to explore how strengthening brain circuits tied to feeding behavior can help mitigate symptoms of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and Alzheimer’s disease. We are also at the forefront of studying how next-generation weight-loss drugs affect brain function, aiming to develop more effective treatments for metabolic disorders.

Representative Publications

Kim KS, Park JS, Hwang E, Park MJ, Shin HY, Lee YH, Kim KM, Gautron L, Godschall E, Portillo B, Grose K, Jung SH, Baek SL, Yun YH, Lee D, Kim E, Ajwani J, Yoo SH, Güler AD, Williams KW, Choi HJ. GLP-1 increases preingestive satiation via hypothalamic circuits in mice and humans. Science. Jun 27; eadj2537 (2024).

Tang Q§, Godschall E§, Brennan CD#, Zhang Q§, Abraham-Fan RJ, Williams SP#, Güngül TB§, Onoharigho R§, Buyukaksakal A#, Salinas R, Sajonia IR§, Olivieri JJ§, Calhan OY ƥ, Deppmann CD, Campbell JNŦ, Podyma B§,Ŧ, Güler ADŦ. Leptin receptor neurons in the dorsomedial hypothalamus input to the circadian feeding network. Sci Adv. Aug 25;9(34):eadh9570 (2023).

Weigel TK§, Guo CL, Güler AD, Ferris HA. Altered circadian behavior and light sensing in mouse models of Alzheimer's disease. Front Aging Neurosci. Jun 20;15:1218193 (2023).

Zhang Q§, Tang Q§, Purohit NM#, Davenport JB#, Brennan C#, Patel RK#, Godschall E§, Zwiefel LS, Spano A, Campbell JN, Güler ADŦ. Food-induced dopamine signaling in AgRP neurons promotes feeding. Cell Rep. Nov 29;41(9):111718 (2022).

Altherr E§, Rainwater A, Kaviani D#, Tang Q, Güler AD Ŧ. Long-term high fat diet consumption reversibly alters feeding behavior via a dopamine-associated mechanism in mice. Behav Brain Res. Sep 24;414:113470 (2021).

Podyma B§, Johnson DA#, Sipe L§, Remcho TP#, Battin K, Liu Y, Yoon SO, Deppmann CDŦ, Güler ADŦ. The p75 neurotrophin receptor in AgRP neurons is necessary for homeostatic feeding and food anticipation. Elife. Jan 29;9 (2020).

Grippo RM§, Tang Q§, Zhang Q§, Chadwick SR§, Gao Y§, Altherr EB§, Sipe L§, Purohit AM#, Purohit NM#, Sunkara MD#, Cios KJ#, Sidikpramana M#, Spano AJ, Campbell JN, Steele AD, Hirsh J, Deppmann CD, Wu M, Scott MM, Güler ADŦ. Dopamine Signaling in the Suprachiasmatic Nucleus Enables Weight Gain Associated with Hedonic Feeding. Curr Biol. Jan 20;30(2):196-208 (2020).

* Equal contribution, Ŧ Corresponding author 
# UVA Undergraduate student, § UVA Graduate student, ƥ Post-doctoral fellow.

For a comprehensive list of Dr. Güler's publications, please click here.