Bernadette Grayson, MCR, PhD

Assistant Professor Office: R735 Lab: R733 (601) 984-3809; fax: (601) 984-1655 Email

Education

• BS - Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 1997, Biology
• MCR - Oregon Health & Sciences University, 2009, Clinical Research
• PhD - Oregon Health & Sciences University, 2009, Neuroscience
• Postdoctoral Fellow - University of Cincinnati, 2009-14, Metabolic Disease

Research interests

• Metabolic disease: obesity & diabetes
• In utero impact of metabolic disease on offspring development
• Brain neurocircuitry in the control of body weight
• Long-term effects of bariatric surgery

Research statement

In the United States, approximately 2/3rd of the adult population is either overweight or obese, 33% of school-aged children are considered obese, and 12% of the infants born are at the 99th percentile for body weight in comparison to charts from the last decade. Metabolic Syndrome (MetS), a collection of disorders which includes obesity, diabetes, dyslipidemia and hypertension, is rampant in this country; the high incidence of MetS continues to be associated with increased severity of symptoms. Under normal circumstances, the central nervous system (CNS), most notably the hypothalamus, maintains fine-tuned control over calorie intake and expenditure. However, due in part to the high availability and intake of calorically dense (Western) diets, neural, metabolic and behavioral adaptations have led to overwhelming proportions of individuals with Met(S). Among women of child-bearing age, maternal MetS can result in transmission of these metabolic disorders to progeny.

My specific research interests are two-fold: the neural, metabolic and behavioral mechanisms by which gut hormones are involved in energy balance and glucose homeostasis and the mechanisms by which maternal gut hormones affect the transmission of metabolic diseases from mother to offspring. The theme of my research spans the disciplines of physiology, neuroendocrinology, behavioral neuroscience and developmental neurobiology.

Selected publications

*In the last four years. A complete publication list can be accessed through MyBibliography at NCBI.

• Ressler IB, Grayson BE, Ulrich-Lai, Seeley RJ. Diet-Induced Obesity Exacerbates Metabolic and Behavioral Effects of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome in a Rodent Model. AJP, 2015.
• Grayson BE, Fitzgerald M, Hakala-Finch A, Ferris VM, Woods SC, Seeley RJ, et al. Improvements in Hippocampal-Dependent Memory and Microglial-Infiltration with Calorie Restriction and Gastric Bypass Surgery but not with Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy. International Journal of Obesity. 2014.
• Ressler IB, Grayson BE, Seeley RJ. Metabolic, Behavioral and Reproductive Improvements of VSG in an Obese Rat Model of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. Obesity Surgery, 2014.
• Chambers AP, Smith EP, Begg DP, Grayson BE, Sisley S, Greer T, et al. Regulation of Gastric Emptying Rate and its Role in Nutrient-Induced GLP-1 Secretion in Rats after Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2014.
• Grayson BE, Hakala-Finch A, Kekulawala M, Laub HM, Packard B, Woods SC, et al.Weight loss by calorie restriction versus bariatric surgery differentially regulates the hypothlamo-pituitary- adrenocortical axis in male rats. Stress. 2014.