Abizaid Lab

• Professor, Carleton University
• Postdoctoral Fellow, Yale University School of Medicine (2002-2006)
• PhD in Psychology/Behavioural Neuroscience, Concordia University (2002)
• MA in Psychology, Concordia University (1996)
• BA in Psychology, Concordia University (1992)
• Contact: alfonso_abizaid@carleton.ca

Research Interest/Focus

I am interested in the brain processes that integrate information from the environment to regulate feeding and energy balance.

Outside of the Lab

When I am not in the lab you will find me spending time with my wife and kids, exploring nature with my dog, playing soccer, and enjoying my involvement in the Society for Neuroscience - Ottawa Chapter.

Adjunct Professor

Contact: barbara.woodside@carleton.ca

• Postdoctoral fellow, Carleton Univerity (2022 to Present)
• PhD in Physiology, University of São Paulo, Brazil (2021)
• MSc in General and Applied Biology, State University of São Paulo, Brazil (2016)
• BSc in Biomedical Sciences, State University of São Paulo, Brazil (2013)
• Contact: marinagalleazzomartins@cmail.carleton.ca OR on Twitter @maagalleazzo

Research Interest/Focus

I am currently interested in ghrelin’s role in the physiological and metabolic effects of stress in male and female mice. In addition, I am also curious about how maternal metabolic impairments lead to offspring vulnerability to obesity later in life.

Publications

Martins, M. G., Woodside, B., & Kiss, A. C. I. (2024). Effects of maternal mild hyperglycemia associated with snack intake on offspring metabolism and behavior across the lifespan. Physiology & Behavior, 276, eArticle 114483. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physbeh.2024.114483

Martins, M. G., Silver, Z., Ayoub, K., Hyland, L., Woodside, B., Kiss, A. C. I., & Abizaid, A. (2023). Maternal glucose intolerance during pregnancy affects offspring POMC expression and results in adult metabolic alterations in a sex-dependent manner. Frontiers in Endocrinology, 14, eArticle 1189207. https://doi.org/10.3389/fendo.2023.1189207

da Silva, G. V., Martins, M. G., de Oliveira, G. P., Cruz, A. G., Rodrigues, L. P., Woodside, B. C., & Kiss, A. C. I. (2021). Effects of maternal hyperglycemia associated with snack intake on male and female offspring high-fat diet preference on infancy. Metabolism, 116(Supplement), eArticle 154635. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.metabol.2020.154635

Martins, M. G., Cruz, A. G. da, de Oliveira, G. P., Woodside, B., Horta-Júnior, J. de A. de C. e, & Kiss, A. C. I. (2021). Effects of snack intake during pregnancy and lactation on reproductive outcome in mild hyperglycemic rats. Physiology & Behavior, 240, eArticle 113544. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physbeh.2021.113544

Martins, M. G., Woodside, B., & Kiss, A. C. I. (2021). Effects of maternal hyperglycemia associated with snack intake on milk ejection and offspring development. Metabolism, 116(Supplement), eArticle 154634. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.metabol.2020.154634

Outside of the Lab

When I’m not doing experiments (or analyzing data and writing), you can find me behind the pages of a mystery book or in an art museum. I love learning new languages and world history. In my spare time, I also like to draw with my pastel set and write short stories.

• BSc, Neuroscience and Mental Health, Carleton University (2019)
• Contact: brennamacaulay@cmail.carleton.ca

Research Interest/Focus

I am currently studying the endocrine system during stress within the context of sex-differences. There is a breadth of research on stress in neuroscience, but the majority of these studies were both designed for, and are only truly applicable to, males. It has been proven that there is an increased prevalence of stress-related disorders in females compared to males, so research into the differential effects of stress in males and females is extremely important.

Publications

Smith, A., Rodrigues, T., Wallace, C., Mezher, K., MacAulay, B., Prowse, R., Hyland, L., & Abizaid, A. (2024). Growth Hormone Secretagogue Receptor (GHSR) Signaling in the Ventral Tegmental Area (VTA) Mediates Feeding Produced by Chronic Social Defeat Stress in Male Mice. Neuroscience, 547, 17–27. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroscience.2024.03.022

Macaulay, B., Smith, A., & Abiziad, A. (2023). The effects of acute non-discriminatory social defeat stress on male and female mice. IBRO Neuroscience Reports, 15, eArticle S764. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ibneur.2023.08.1567

Smith, A., Hudak, A., Macaulay, B., Scheufen, J., Hyland, L., & Abiziad, A. (2023). Chronic stress enhances ghrelin entry into the brain via disruptions in mediobasal hypothalamic astrocytes. IBRO Neuroscience Reports, 15, eArticle S770. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ibneur.2023.08.1580

Outside of the Lab

Outside of the lab I spend most of my time taking my dog on adventures, practicing aerial silks, hiking, and spending time with my partner, friends, and family

• BSc (Hons), Neuroscience and Mental Health, Carleton University (2022)
• Contact: zacharysilver@cmail.carleton.ca OR zacharysilver6@gmail.com

Research Interest/Focus

My research focuses on the interaction between ghrelin and a specialized glial cell type called tanycytes. In the hypothalamus, tanycytes can be found at the ventral aspect of the third ventricle right next to the median eminence. Here, they regulate the access of bloodborne substances to the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) through the formation of the blood-CSF barrier, and also regulate the activity of nearby hypothalamic circuits through direct interaction with neighbouring neurons. Through these means, tanycytes have been implicated in the control of energy balance. My research is specifically examining the role of tanycytes in the transportation of ghrelin to its hypothalamic targets, and how they may mediate the orexigenic effect of ghrelin.

Publications

Martins, M. G., Silver, Z., Ayoub, K., Hyland, L., Woodside, B., Kiss, A. C. I., & Abizaid, A. (2023). Maternal glucose intolerance during pregnancy affects offspring POMC expression and results in adult metabolic alterations in a sex-dependent manner. Frontiers in Endocrinology, 14, eArticle 1189207. https://doi.org/10.3389/fendo.2023.1189207

Smith, A., Hyland, L., Al-Ansari, H., Watts, B., Silver, Z., Wang, L., Dahir, M., Akgun, A., Telfer, A., & Abizaid, A. (2023). Metabolic, neuroendocrine and behavioral effects of social defeat in male and female mice using the chronic non-discriminatory social defeat stress model. Hormones and Behavior, 155, eArticle 105412. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yhbeh.2023.105412

Deng, J., Zhou, F., Heybati, K., Zuo, Q. K., Ali, S., Hou, W., Wong, C. Y., Ba Ramaraju, H., Chang, O., Dhivagaran, T., & Silver, Z. (2022). Efficacy and safety of corticosteroid regimens for the treatment of hospitalized COVID-19 patients: a meta-analysis. Future Virology, 17(7), 463-489.

Deng, J., Zhou, F., Hou, W., Heybati, K., Ali, S., Chang, O., Silver, Z., Dhivagaran, T., Ba Ramaraju, H., Wong, C. Y., Kang Zuo, Q., Lapshina, E., & Mellet, M. (2022). Efficacy of lopinavir–ritonavir combination therapy for the treatment of hospitalized COVID-19 patients: a meta-analysis. Future Virology, 17(3).

Silver, Z., Abbott-Tate, S., Hyland, L., Sherratt, F., Woodside, B., & Abizaid, A. (2021). Ghrelin receptor signaling is not required for glucocorticoid-induced obesity in female mice. Journal of Endocrinology, 250(2), 37-48.

Deng, J., Zhou, F., Hou, W., Silver, Z., Yi Wong, C., Chang, O., Drakos, A., Kang Zuo, Q., & Huang, E. (2021). The prevalence of depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms and sleep disturbance in higher education students during the COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Psychiatry Research, 301, eArticle 113863. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2021.113863

Deng, J., Zhou, F., Heybati, K., Ali, S., Zuo, Q. K., Hou, W., Dhivagaran, T., Ba Ramaraju, H., Chang, O., Wong, C. Y., & Silver, Z. (2021). Efficacy of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine for the treatment of hospitalized COVID-19 patients: a meta-analysis. Future Virology, 17(2).

Deng, J., Silver, Z., Huang, E., Zheng, E., Kavanagh, K., Wen, A., Cheng, W., Dobransky, J., Sanger, S., & Grammatopoulos, G. (2020). Pharmacological prevention of fractures in patients undergoing glucocorticoid therapies: a systematic review and network meta-analysis. Rheumatology, 60(2), 649-657.

Deng, J., Zhou, F., Hou, W., Silver, Z., Yi Wong, C., Chang, O., Huang, E., & Kang Zuo, Q. (2020). The prevalence of depression, anxiety, and sleep disturbances in COVID-19 patients: a meta-analysis. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1486(1), 90-111. https://doi.org/10.1111/nyas.14506

Deng, J., Silver, Z., Huang, E., Zheng, E., Kavanagh, K., & Panicker, J. (2020). The effect of calcium and vitamin D compounds on bone mineral density in patients undergoing glucocorticoid therapies: a network meta-analysis. Clinical Rheumatology, 40(2), 725-734. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10067-020-05294-y

Outside of the Lab

When I am not in the lab I like to run, lift weights, read comic books, watch sports, and spend time with friends.

• BSc (Hons), Neuroscience and Mental Health with a minor in Psychology, Carleton University (2022)
• Contact: francessherratt@cmail.carleton.ca

Research Interest/Focus

My research interests encompass the neurobiology of psychiatric illness. My graduate studies will be conducted under the supervision of Dr. Robyn McQuaid and it will be co-supervised by Dr. Alfonso Abizaid. I will be working to further characterize differential endocrine and immune responses between stressed and non-stressed individuals.

Publications

Sherratt, F.*, Prowse, R.*, Abizaid, A., Gabrys, R. L., Hellemans, K. G. C., Patterson, Z. R., & McQuaid, R. J. (2021). Coping with the COVID-19 pandemic: examining gender differences in stress and mental health among university students. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 12, eArticle 650759. https://doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2021.650759.

Silver, Z., Abbott-Tate, S., Hyland, L., Sherratt, F., Woodside, B., & Abizaid, A. (2021). Ghrelin receptor signaling is not required for glucocorticoid-induced obesity in female mice. Journal of Endocrinology, 250, 37-48. https://doi:10.1530/joe-20-0579.

*These authors have contributed equally to this work and share first authorship

Outside of the Lab

Outside of the lab I love spending time with my friends and family, and keeping active through sports and the gym! I grew up playing rugby so that’s where my heart lies, but I also really like skiing, boxing, and hockey. Science can be stressful, so I’m thankful I have different ways to unwind!

• BA (Hons), Psychology with a minor in Neuroscience and Mental Health, Carleton University (2023)
• BComm (Hons), University of Guelph (1993)
• Contact: zitakolano@cmail.carleton.ca

Research Interest/Focus

My research investigates sex differences in GHSR expression within the hypothalamus of wild type mice.

Outside of the Lab

When I am not in the lab, I like to spend time with my husband and three kids. I also like to sew, knit, read, run, lift weights, and practice yoga (not necessarily in that order).

• BA, Psychology (Specialization), Concordia University (2023)
• Contact: victoriadouan@cmail.carleton.ca

Research Interest/Focus

My research focuses on establishing the direct effect ghrelin has on astrocytes in the ventral tegmental area (VTA). In the context of reward pathways, ghrelin has been shown to influence reward-based feeding behaviours by acting on the mesolimbic dopamine (DA) pathway, especially within the VTA. We know that ghrelin binds to receptors on DA and non-DA neurons, thus enhancing their activity and increasing reward signals associated with food intake. My goal is to see if astrocytes in the VTA express ghrelin receptors and directly interact with ghrelin in a way to further modulate dopaminergic neuron activity.

Conference Presentations

Ah-Yen E., Wu F., Douan V., Rodriguez P., Borges C., & Shalev U. (2023). The effect of chemogenetic activation of the anterior paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus on heroin seeking in abstinent male and female rats. Society for Neuroscience, Washington, DC.

Borges C., Douan V., Rodriguez P., & Shalev U. (2023). Long-term behavioural consequences of higher heroin availability in female rats. Canadian Association for Neuroscience annual meeting, Montreal, QC.

Outside of the Lab

I enjoy spending time with family, friends, and my dog Toby. I also love trying new restaurants. If anyone has any good recommendations in Ottawa, please feel free to reach out.

• BSc (Hons), Neuroscience and Mental Health
• Contact: khadijatadebayo@cmail.carleton.ca

Research Interest/Focus

My research examines the effects of chronic social defeat stress on blood brain barrier permeability to ghrelin in female mice.

Outside of the Lab

I like to watch K-dramas, read comics, and try new activities.

• BSc (Hons), Neuroscience and Mental Health
• Contact: jordyncrawford@cmail.carleton.ca

Research Interest/Focus

My research looks at the gut of female rats exposed to social stress to see if they have increase GPCR expression.

Outside of the Lab

I enjoy making and presenting poetry, as well as spending time with my cat Kodak.

• BSc (Hons), Neuroscience and Mental Health with a Minor in Psychology
• Contact: victoriafrench@cmail.carleton.ca

Research Interest/Focus

My research focuses on the gut brain axis. I will be looking at fat and carbohydrate signaling through the vagus nerve, in socially defeated male mice models. This research will help determine how stress influences the gut brain axis and impacts food intake.

Outside of the Lab

When not in the lab, I enjoy travelling and visiting my family on the East Coast. I am from Newfoundland but have family in all of the Atlantic Provinces. I also spend a lot of time working with non-profit organizations, hosting fundraisers and volunteering workshops. I am the President of Global Minds Carleton, a social justice club on campus.

• BSc (Hons), Neuroscience and Mental Health
• Contact: hanoohussain@cmail.carleton.ca

Research Interest/Focus

My research will compare GHSR expression between lactating and non-lactating rats.

Outside of the Lab

I love traveling and learning new and different cultures. My next destination is hopefully Turkey.

• BSc (Hons), Neuroscience and Mental Health
• Contact: khyannalamarchesilm@cmail.carleton.ca

Research Interest/Focus

My research focus will investigate the synaptic buttons in the basolateral amygdala of ghrelin-insensitive rats.

Outside of the Lab

When I am not in the lab, I love listening to music and playing the guitar. I also enjoy taking part in outdoor activities like camping and fishing in the summer, and snowshoeing and discovering new hiking trails in the winter.

• BSc (Hons), Neuroscience and Mental Health
• Contact: marionodumu@cmail.carleton.ca

Research Interest/Focus

My research focuses on exploring the effects of ghrelin on the morphology of the arcuate nucleus.

Outside of the Lab

When I’m not immersed in research, you’ll likely find me boxing or discovering new food spots around town. I’m always eager to learn and I love a good fun fact. Feel free to reach out—I’d love to connect!.

• BSc (Hons), Neuroscience and Mental Health with a Minor in Psychology
• Contact: laurenrhuland@cmail.carleton.ca

Research Interest/Focus

My research focuses on the behavioural and physiological impacts of chronic social defeat stress. Currently, I am examining how chronic social stress influences blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability. Specifically, I am investigating whether stress can alter BBB integrity, causing a heightened vulnerability to inflammation, toxins, and disruptions in metabolic and affective states.

Outside of the Lab

When I’m not in the lab I love to spend time outdoors, doing activities like going on walks and hikes. I also enjoy reading and baking for friends and family (as well as myself!!).

• BSc (Hons), Neuroscience and Mental Health
• Contact: laurenwatt@cmail.carleton.ca

Research Interest/Focus

For my honours thesis, I investigated the relative expression levels of ghrelin and glucocorticoid receptors in the hippocampus of male and female mice following chronic non-discriminatory social defeat (CNDSD). Currently, as a volunteer, I am exploring the effects of CNDSD on nutrient-sensing related receptors by analyzing gene expression levels in stomach and liver tissues using qPCR.

Outside of the Lab

I like to take care of my house plants and listen to music. I also love to stay active by running in the warm weather and cross-country skiing in the winter.

• Senior at West Carleton Secondary School
• Contact: lih20600@gmail.com

Research Interest/Focus

I began interning at the Abizaid Lab in the summer of 2023 after achieving first place at the 2022 Ottawa, Canadian National, and the International Brain Bee. I am very grateful for the mentorship from the Abizaid Lab that has fostered my interest in neuroscience research!

I’m helping to develop a machine learning pipeline which automatically processes videos of stress-conditioned, freely-moving mice. The pipeline has enhanced efficiency, scalability, and reproducibility in extracting high-quality images of mouse side profiles, which are used by subsequent models to score emotion based on facial expression changes. The goal is to create an automated, unbiased tool to study emotional states in mice and further our understanding on how stress contributes to depression.

Conference Presentations

Li, H., Telfer, A., MacAulay, B., & Abizaid, A. (2024). Automated Video Processing to Evaluate Facial Expression in Freely-Moving Female and Male Mice Exposed to Chronic Defeat Stress. Neuroscience and Mental Health Trainee Network Conference, Ottawa, ON.

Outside of the Lab

Outside the lab, I dabble in photography, love getting shaved ice, and playing tennis with friends!!

• Lab Mascot

Interest/Focus
Roxy is an avid swimmer who also likes to play ball/frisbee and roll around in the mud. Roxy is a big fan of cheese but will also happily enjoy smoked duck feet and liver treats.

Andrea Smith, PhD (2024)
Kejah Bascon, MSc (2024)
Andre Telfer, MSc (2023)
Kiara Ayoub, MSc (2023)
Aditi Sanke, MSc (2023)
Eliza Ali, PhD (2022)
Ahmad Alftieh, MSc (2021)
Stephanie DeSante, MSc (2021)
Alexander Edwards, PhD (2020)
Samantha King, PhD (2018)
Lyndsay Hyland, MSc (2017)
Rim Khazall, PhD (2017)
Su-Bin Park, MSc (2017)
Martin Wellman, PhD (2016)
Harry MacKay, PhD (2015)
Catherine Nesbitt, PhD (2015)
Stephanie Rosenbaum, MSc (2014)
Farah Sabrin, MSc (2014)
Veronique St-Onge, PhD (2014)
Tamara Parno, MSc (2013)
Zachary Patterson, PhD (2013)
Trevor Rodrigues, MSc (2013)
Valerie Charbonneau, MSc (2012)
Elaine Waddington-Lamont, Postdoctoral Fellow (2012)
Ian Bloom, MSc (2010)