Tufts University · NeuroscienceRios Lab
Maribel Rios · Medford, Massachusetts
Research Focus
Dr. Maribel Rios' lab studies how specific brain signals affect our body's energy and glucose management. Particularly, they focus on the relationship between two proteins, thrombospondin and a2d-1, in the brain regions that control eating and metabolism. By understanding how these proteins work, the lab hopes to find new ways to treat obesity and related metabolic diseases.
energy metabolismglucose homeostasisobesitythrombospondinneurotrophic factorssynaptic plasticityventromedial hypothalamuscaloric statusmetabolic healthdiet-induced obesity
Research Aims
4AIM 01Investigate how altering the function of a2d-1 in the brain affects metabolic health during obesity.
AIM 02Examine the role of astrocytic thrombospondins in regulating metabolic function and their dependency on a2d-1.
AIM 03Explore how caloric intake influences neuron activity and excitatory synaptic responses in the ventromedial hypothalamus.
AIM 04Map the connections and responses of a2d-1+ neurons to caloric signals to understand their role in metabolism.
Skills the Lab Values
electrophysiologymouse modelsviral-mediated gene rescueimmunohistochemistrybehavioral assaysmetabolic phenotypingdata analysis with R or Pythontissue culture techniques
Output against the department
Publications52bottom 11% of dept.595th of 671
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations7.4ktop 50% of dept.335th of 671
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.