Melanin-Concentrating Hormone

Dr. Bittencourt is Full Professor of the Department of Anatomy and Head of the Laboratory of Chemical Neuroanatomy at the Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of Sao Paulo, Brazil. He has served on multiple major University and Faculty committees while at the same time maintaining a significant research group and an extensive publication output. During his career spanning almost four decades, he has supervised more than 50 Master, Doctorate students, and Postdoctoral Fellows. He is the author of over 150 original articles, reviews, books, and book chapters. He has supervised Ph.D. students, many of whom now hold significant academic and other positions throughout Brazil and internationally.Professor Carol Elias earned a PhD in Neuroscience and Behavior from the University of São Paulo, Brazil. She completed the postdoctoral training in Neuroscience and Neuroendocrinology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center/Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA. After her postdoctoral training, she returned to Brazil to establish a research program at the Institute of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Sao Paulo, where she worked for approximately 10 years. In 2006, she returned to the United States for a 1-year sabbatical at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, TX. She was invited to join the faculty at the Division of Hypothalamic Research. In 2013, she moved to the University of Michigan in Ann Abor, MI. She currently holds the position of Professor in the Departments of Molecular & Integrative Physiology and Obstetrics & Gynecology at University of Michigan. She is the Director of the Neuroscience Graduate Program and the Director of the Michigan Mouse Metabolic Phenotyping Center (MMPC-Live), a National Center funded by the NIDDK. She is a member of the Latin American Academy of Sciences (ACAL) and a fellow of the American Academy for the Advancement of Sciences (AAAS).

• Part 1: Introduction to MCH1. Introduction2. Melanin-concentrating hormone: a bibliometric perspectivePart 2: Molecular Biology of MCH3. The Melanin-Concentrating Hormone and its Receptors4. Genetic and Molecular Aspects of the Melanin-Concentrating Hormone: “From the Gene to the Peptide”5. MCH Neurons, Neurotransmitters and Co-modulators6. Synaptic Functions of MCH7. Non-synaptic mechanisms of MCH communicationPart 3: MCH in Organ Function8. Energy Homeostasis9. Reproductive Behavior10. Sleep11. Cognition and Memory12. Peripheral Actions of MCHPart 4: MCH Pharmacology13. Development and application of in vivo MCH tracers14. Agonists and AntagonistsPart 5: MCH in Non-Rodent Biology15. Mediator in Non-Mammalian Biology: Overview of the Evolutionary Aspects of MCH16. MCH in Teleosts17. MCH in Reptiles and Non-Primate Mammals18. MCH in Humans Part 6: MCH in Disease19. MCH and Addiction20. MCH and Psychiatric Disorders21. MCH and Neurodegenerative Diseases22. Lactation/Maternal Behavior23. Mental Disorders/stress-related sleep mood and MCH24. Measuring circulating MCH in humans and eating disorders