Integrative Physiology & Neuroscience Research Area

The Baumann laboratory’s overall research goal is to identify sites and mechanisms that increase the stress buffering capacity of the neuromuscular system, which ultimately can be targeted to improve function and health span in aging, frail and myopathic populations.

Housed in the Ohio Musculoskeletal and Neurological Institute's Center for Healthy Aging, the Clark Lab works to improve the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of sarcopenia, frailty, and osteoporosis. 

Consitt's research interests involve studying the metabolic properties of skeletal muscle in conditions such as obesity, diabetes and aging, particularly the cellular and molecular mechanisms contributing to skeletal muscle insulin sensitivity and lipid metabolism and the impact that exercise and diet modification may have on these mechanisms.

I have a general interest in how sensory information is encoded in trains of spikes across neurons, and how higher-level areas of the brain decode the spike trains of lower-level neurons to form a percept of the sensory world. In investigating sensorineural coding, I focus on binaural hearing.

My research interests are primarily in the field of insect physiological ecology, with a particular emphasis on responses to aquatic organisms to environmental stressors related to acid mine drainage. A secondary but related interest is the digestive physiology and energy expenditure of herbivorous and detritus feeding insects.

Our main research interest is to understand pathogenic mechanisms underlying neurodegenerative diseases (NDs). In particular, we are interested in prion-like propagation of pathogenic proteins such as alpha-Synuclein (alpha-Syn) and microtubule associated protein tau (MAPT).

One bacterial pathogen capable of high levels of asymptomatic carriage in humans is Neisseria gonorrhoeae. N. gonorrhoeae recruits human proteins on the surface of infected cells to the site bacterial adhesion. I am working to understand the functional consequences of protein recruitment.

My research interests are to investigate the roles of apolipoproteins, gut peptides and neuropeptides on a gut-brain axis through the stimulation of vagus nerves and sympathetic nervous system in the control of energy homeostasis and lipid/glucose metabolism in obese and diabetic models.

The brain vasculature provides a critical and expansive blood supply to support neuronal metabolism and function, and vascular lesions within the brain are often accompanied by neurological dysfunction. Our lab is interested in understanding how these systems influence one another.

I study beta-cell decline in early diabetes. I showed that circulating levels of cytokines caused by obesity are sufficient to trigger beta-cell failure in diabetes-prone mice. We are also develop novel dual-action compounds that stimulate insulin secretion and block immune-mediated beta-cell death.

Dr. Puri is recognized for identifying the CIDE proteins and their role in pathogenesis and pathophysiology of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.  Puri lab uses various humanized mouse models and human clinical studies to identify molecular pathways regulating these diseases, and identifying potential therapeutic targets.