University of Michigan-Ann Arbor · PharmacologyFerrario Cravings Lab
Carrie Ferrario · Ann Arbor, Michigan
Research Focus
Dr. Carrie Ferrario's research lab at the University of Michigan focuses on understanding how food-related cues influence cravings and eating behavior, particularly in the context of obesity. The lab studies the brain's reward systems and how junk food can alter neural circuits, contributing to an enhanced craving for food in obese individuals. By using preclinical models, the lab aims to uncover the biological mechanisms that drive obesity and develop targeted prevention and treatment strategies.
obesityfood cravingsneural circuitsglutamatergic plasticityjunk foodcue-triggered motivationnucleus accumbensreward systemspreclinical modelsneural mechanisms
Research Aims
5AIM 01Investigate the impact of junk food on glutamatergic plasticity in the nucleus accumbens.
AIM 02Determine how food cues trigger cravings in preclinical obesity models.
AIM 03Explore sex differences in neurobehavioral responses to food cues.
AIM 04Identify specific neural circuits involved in cue-triggered eating behavior.
AIM 05Assess the long-term effects of diet-induced changes on motivation and reward.
Skills the Lab Values
behavioral experimentsanimal handlingelectrophysiologyimmunohistochemistryfood-seeking assaysWestern blottingfunctional MRI analysisdata analysis using MATLABPCR for genetic studiesneurobehavioral assessments
Output against the department
Publications722top 4% of dept.20th of 462
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations35ktop 7% of dept.34th of 462
this lab
most citedleast cited
Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. A department spans everything from one paper to tens of thousands, so bar heights are on a log scale — otherwise the largest lab would flatten every other bar to a line.