The Liang Lab’s overall research program is aimed at identifying the underlying mechanisms of reward and motivated behaviors such as feeding and drug use. Feeding is fundamental to survival and reproduction. Multiple factors contribute to aberrant eating behaviors and the resulting obesity or eating disorders. Drug use such as consuming cannabis edibles and drinking alcohol not only activate the common reward and motivational pathways but also impacts the control of energy metabolism and cognitive function. Our current foci are how various patterns of food or drug intake affect neurochemical adaptations and how these adaptations contribute to clinical conditions such as obesity, diabetes, substance dependence, and cognitive decline. Our research interests include:

• Taste
• Ingestive Behaviors
• Animal Models of Eating Disorders
• Neurobiology of Energy Metabolism
• Polydrug Use and Behavior

Our Principal Investigator is Nu-Chu Liang.

We are currently accepting a graduate student to join our lab.