Baylor College of Medicine · GeneticsCholinergic Circuitry Lab
Benjamin R Arenkiel · Houston, Texas
Research Focus
Dr. Benjamin Arenkiel's lab focuses on understanding how specific brain circuits govern body weight control and feeding behavior. They explore the role of cholinergic signaling in the brain, particularly looking at how these signals affect regions involved in appetite regulation. By uncovering these mechanisms, the lab aims to provide insights into obesity and related metabolic disorders, which are significant health issues today.
cholinergic signalingbody weight controlobesityneural circuitsappetite regulationelectrophysiology
Research Aims
5AIM 01Investigate how cholinergic signaling in the basal forebrain influences feeding behaviors.
AIM 02Elucidate the role of basolateral amygdalar neurons in body weight regulation.
AIM 03Examine the interaction between cholinergic circuits and the nucleus accumbens in appetite control.
AIM 04Assess the impact of forebrain cholinergic action loss on obesity development.
AIM 05Determine the mechanisms through which cholinergic signaling affects nutrient metabolism.
Skills the Lab Values
optogeneticsconditional genetic targetingbehavioral analysiselectrophysiologyanimal modelsneural pathway mapping
Output against the department
Publications167top 47% of dept.122nd of 259
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations6.7kbottom 36% of dept.165th of 259
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.