Cultivating novel treatments for obesity-related respiratory disease by uncovering neuronal etiology

PROJECT SUMMARY / ABSTRACT
Despite Obesity Hypoventilation Syndrome (OHS) affecting the health of 1 in every 220 US Americans,
current treatments lack effectiveness or have poor compliance. The development of new treatments has been
hindered by the field’s near exclusive focus on an individual’s physical body mechanics or metabolic rate as
the primary cause of obesity-related respiratory pathophysiology. Our long-term goal is to identify new
strategies that can effectively treat obesity-related respiratory diseases. The overall objective of this proposal is
to define the circuitry that links metabolic neurobiology to a reduction in chemosensitivity. Our central
hypothesis is that hypothalamic modulation of the midbrain periaqueductal gray (PAG) results in obesity-
related reductions in chemosensitivity. The rationale is that by defining the circuitry that links obesity-induced
hypothalamic changes to reduced chemosensitivity, the outcomes of this proposal are likely to foster the
development of new pharmaceutical treatments designed to combat OHS. The central hypothesis will be
tested in the following specific aims:
Aim 1. Identify the hypothalamic populations that modulate the PAG. Using a combination of transgenic
mouse models, immunohistochemistry, and viral tracing, this aim identifies the hypothalamic brain regions and
signaling mechanisms involved in the modulation of chemosensitivity via the midbrain PAG
Aim 2. Determine the neuronal targets that maximally affect in vivo chemosensitivity. Using chemogenic
technology and whole-body plethysmography, this aim determines the extent to which each of our candidate
regions modulate breathing in the context of obesity.
This proposal is expected to define a novel neurobiological circuit by which obesity affects chemosensitivity. This
proposal is innovative because it moves beyond the popularly held view that obesity-related respiratory disease
principally results from physical body mechanics, and instead, identifies key neuronal populations that modulate
in vivo chemosensitivity. This contribution is expected to significantly increase the field’s understanding of
obesity-related respiratory pathophysiology. Ultimately, we believe this contribution will catalyze the
development of new, more effective treatments for obesity-related respiratory diseases that target the underlying
neuro-pathophysiology.

Grant Number: 1R15HL170276-01
NIH Institute/Center: NIH
Principal Investigator: Deanna Arble