Ana Pusterla Parish

PhD thesis: Neurobiological Mechanisms of Protein Deficiency Sensing and Appetite Regulation

Research interests:

1. Nutrient sensing in the brain
2. Appetite regulation and hyperphagia (overeating)
3. Brain-liver metabolic signalling
4. Mechanistic targets for obesity

My research aims to investigate how the brain detects dietary protein deficiency and translates this information into increased food intake (hyperphagia). Protein has been diluted across modern diets, and the brain’s sensing mechanisms may play a key role in driving compensatory overeating, a potential contributor to the global obesity epidemic. I am particularly interested in identifying the neural circuits and molecular signals responsible for detecting low protein and in understanding how these pathways integrate with whole-body metabolism. This includes exploring potential direct communication between the brain and the liver, enabling a coordinated metabolic response to nutrient imbalance. Ultimately, this research could inform strategies to modulate appetite and improve metabolic health through targeted manipulation of protein-sensing pathways.

Who or what inspired you to pursue your research interests?

My interest in obesity research began during medical school, where I did a research internship with a bariatric surgeon. There, I learnt how obesity is increasingly being understood as a complex disease with biological underpinnings. This experience inspired me to pursue an MPhil at the Institute of Metabolic Science, Cambridge, where I joined a neuroscience lab. Here, I discovered the brain’s pivotal role in regulating appetite and metabolism and realised that the solutions to obesity may lie in understanding neural control of energy balance. In future, I aim to combine clinical practice with research to develop effective approaches to treating obesity.