Project Overview

Depression and anxiety are highly prevalent in people with obesity and type 2 diabetes. There are several theories of the cause of this association, however one commonality amongst these theories is that insulin, a hormone released after meals, becomes ineffective in obesity or type 2 diabetes and no longer regulates the reward system leading to anhedonia (lack of pleasure) and a lack of motivation. The experiments proposed here will test this hypothesis. We also propose to design a new method to measure insulin concentration in the brain using an optical sensor that would allow for real-time measurements of brain insulin concentration during the animal’s behaviour. Theoretically, this biosensor could be used in other organs as well. Finally, we will test if restoring insulin signaling either in the body or in both the brain and body can ameliorate the anxiodepressive behaviour in obesity. This study is important due to the growing rates of obesity and its extremely high comorbidity with depression. Currently, most medications to treat depression produce weight gain, so new therapeutic avenues are badly needed.

Principal Investigator

Stephanie Borgland , Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary

Partners and Donors

The Krembil Foundation

Women's Brain Health Initiative