Harvey Grill
Harvey J. Grill, PhD, received his doctorate in 1974 from New York University, in physiological psychology. He did his postdoctoral work in behavioral neuroscience at Rockefeller University. He came to Penn in 1977 and is a professor of psychology and neuroscience.
His work focuses on the neural bases of obesity and anorexia, with the following research themes:
1. Delineate the contribution of neural circuits and transmitter systems contained within forebrain, midbrain and hindbrain as they combine to contribute to a distributed control of energy intake and energy expenditure.
2. Examine the distributed neural control of thermoregulation and fever with an eye toward gaining insight into their underlying autonomic organization as this informs the neurology of energy expenditure.
3. Develop new paradigms to distinguishing the neural circuits controlling the size of individual meals from those regulating energy balance in the longer term. In so doing examine interactions between gastointestinal signal processing and the action of hormones like leptin and ghrlein whose levels vary with energy
status.
4. Define the oral motor and gastrointestinal actions of anorexic agents [e.g., neuropeptide and monoamines] and the location of receptors mediating these effects.
5. Define how metabolic state alters or modulates behavioral and autonomic output systems.
6. Develop animal models for pharmacological and surgical treatments for the treatment of obesity and for insufficient feeding in humans.
Psychology Graduate Group; Neuroscience Graduate Group
- Amber Alhadeff [Psychology Graduate Student]
- Scott Kanoski [Postdoc]
Grill, HJ. (2010) Leptin and the systems neuroscience of meal size control. Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology, 31(1):61-78.
Skibicka KP and Grill HJ. (2009) Hypothalamic and Hindbrain Melanocortin Receptors Contribute to the feeding, Thermogenic and Cardiovascular Action of Melanocortins. Endocrinology. 2009 Nov 150(11).
Hayes MR, Bradley L, Grill HJ. (2009) Endogenous hindbrain glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor activation contributes to the control of food intake by mediating gastric satiation signaling. Endocrinology. 2009 Jun;150(6):2654-9. Epub 2009 Mar 5.
Skibicka KP, Alhadeff AL, Grill HJ. (2009) Hindbrain cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript induces hypothermia mediated by GLP-1 receptors. J Neurosci. 2009 May 27;29(21):6973-81.
Grill HJ, Hayes MR. (2009) The nucleus tractus solitarius: a portal for visceral afferent signal processing, energy status assessment and integration of their combined effects on food intake. Int J Obes (Lond). 2009 Apr;33 Suppl 1:S11-5.
Hayes MR, Skibicka KP, Bence KK, Grill HJ. (2009) Dorsal hindbrain AMP-Kinase as an intracellular mediator of energy balance. Endocrinology. 2009 May;150(5):2175-82, 2008 Dec (Epub)
Skibicka KP, Grill HJ. (2009) Hindbrain leptin stimulation induces anorexia and hyperthermia mediated by hindbrain melanocortin receptors. Endocrinology 2009 April;150(4):1705-11, 2008 Dec (Epub)
Nautiyal KM, Dailey M, Brito N, Brito MN, Harris RB, Bartness TJ, Grill HJ. (2008) Energetic responses to cold temperatures in rats lacking forebrain-caudal brain stem connections. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol. 2008 Sep;295(3):R789-98
Hayes MR, Skibicka KP, Grill HJ (2008) Caudal brainstem processing is sufficient for behavioral, sympathetic, and parasympathetic responses driven by peripheral and hindbrain GLP-1 receptor stimulation. Endocrinology. 2008 Aug;149(8):4059-68
Skibicka KP, Grill HJ. (2008) Energetic responses are triggered by caudal brainstem melanocortin receptor stimulation and mediated by local sympathetic effector circuits. Endocrinology. 2008 Jul;149(7):3605-16
Huo L, Gamber KM, Grill HJ, Bjorbaek C. (2008) Divergent leptin signaling in proglucagon neurons of the nucleus of the solitary tract in mice and rats. Endocrinology. 2008 Feb; 149(2):492-7.
Grill HJ, Skibicka KP, Hayes MR. (2007). Imaging obesity: fMRI, food reward, and feeding. Cell Metab. 2007 Dec; 6(6): 423-5.
Harris RB, Bartness TJ, Grill HJ. (2007) Leptin responsiveness in chronically decerebrate rats. Endocrinology. 2007 Oct; 148(10):4623-33.
Huo L, Maeng L, Bjorbaek C, Grill HJ. (2007) Leptin and the control of food intake: neurons in the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS) are activated by both gastric distension and leptin. Endocrinology. 2007 Feb 22