Stephen Benoit Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Psychiatry

Specialty: Systems and Behavioral Neuroscience

Office or Work Location: Genome Research Institute

Mailing Address
2170 East Galbraith Road
Cincinnati, OH 45237

Telephone: (513) 558-4312
Fax: (513) 558-8990

E-mail
stephen.benoit@uc.edu

Background, Current Projects, Responsibilities

My research interests focus on neurobiological controls over behavior with emphases on food intake and learning. Part of this work has centered on the molecular, physiological and behavioral effects of hypothalamic neuropeptides that influence energy homeostasis, and how these neurotransmitters are modified by signals proportional to the amount of fat in the body (e.g., the hormones, leptin and insulin). Other studies have focused on the role of learning in the control of ingestive behavior. At the risk of oversimplifying the situation, influences on food intake can be categorized as homeostatic (e.g., related to body weight) and non-homeostatic (e.g., related to visceral illness, hedonics or the incentive value of food.) Long-term research goals of mine are to determine which specific learning processes are critical for the maintenance of energy balance as well as how disrupted energy balance (e.g., obesity) influences the neurobiology of learning.

Research, Publications, Presentations

Selected Recent Publications

Air EL, Strowski MZ, Benoit SC, Salituro GM, Gaun X-M, Liu K, Woods SC, Zhang BB (2002). Small molecule insulin mimetics reduce food intake and body weight and improve insulin sensitivity. Nature Medicine, 8, 179-183.

Air EL, Benoit SC, Clegg DJ, Seeley RJ, Woods SC (2002). Insulin and leptin combine additively to reduce food intake and body weight in rats. Endocrinology, 143, 2449-2452.

Benoit SC, Air EL, Coolen LM, Strauss R, Jackman A, Clegg DJ, Seeley RJ, Woods SC (2002). The catabolic action of insulin in the brain is mediated by melanocortins. Journal of Neuroscience, 22, 9048-9052.

Clegg DJ, Wortman MD, Benoit SC, McOosker CC, Seeley RJ (2002). Comparison of central and peripheral adminstration of C75 on food intake, body weight, and conditioned taste aversion. Diabetes, 51, 3189-3195.

Clegg DJ, Reidy C, Blake-Smith KA, Benoit SC, Woods SC (2003). Differential sensitivity to central leptin and insulin in male and female rats. Diabetes, 52, 682-687.

Reizes O, Benoit SC, Strader A, Clegg DJ, Akunuru S, Seeley RJ (2003). Syndecan-3 modulates food intake by interacting with the melanocortin/AgRP pathway. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 994, 66-73.

Benoit SC, Clegg DJ, Barrera JG, Fisher M, Seeley RJ, Woods SC (2003). Learned meal initiation attenuates the anorexic effects of the melanocortin agonisth, MTII. Diabetes, 52, 2684-2688.

Figlewitz DP, Bennett J, Evans SB, Kaiyala K, Sipols AJ, Benoit SC (2004). Intraventricular insulin and leptin reverse place preference conditioned with high fat diet in rats. Behavioral Neuroscience, 118, 479-487.

Tschöp M, Castañeda, TR, Joost HG, Thöne-Reineke C, Ortmann S, Klaus S, Bogiano MM, Chandler PC, Oswald KD, Benoit SC, Seeley RJ, Kinzig KP, Moran TH, Beck-Sickinger AG, Koglin N, Rodgers RJ, Blundell JE, Ishii Y, Beattie AH, Holch P, Allison DB, Raun K, Madsen K, Wulff BS, Stidsen CE, Birringer M, Kreuzer O, Schindler M, Arndt K, Rudolf K, Mark M, Deng XY, Withcomb DC, Halem H, Taylor J, Dong J, Datta R, Culler M, Craney S, Flora D, Smiley D, Heiman ML. (2004). Physiology: does gut hormone PYY3-36 decrease food intake in rodents? Nature, 430, 165.

Strader A, Reizes O, Woods SC, Benoit SC, Seeley RJ (2004). Mice lacking the syndecan-3 gene have attenuated dietary-induced obesity. Journal of Clinical Investigation, 114, 1354-1360.

Benoit SC, Clegg DJ, Seeley RJ, Woods SC (2004). Insulin and leptin as adiposity signals. Recent Progress in Hormone Research, 59, 267-85.

Benoit SC, Tschop MH (2005). PYY3-36 Monkeys around with energy balance. Invited Editorial Focus for American Journal of Physiology, 288, R358-R359.

Recent Invited Presentations

Energy balance and obesity: Neuroendocrine, behavioral and plasticity mechanisms. Invited Cooloquium. The Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, GA. (2002).

The anorexic effects of central insulin are mediated by melanocortins. Invited Symposium. Benjamin Franklin Lafayette Symposium, La Napoule, France (2002).

Central insulin and energy balance. Invited symposium, International Congress of Obesity, Sao Paulo, Brazil (2002).

Glucose has multiple roles in learning and memory. Invited symposium, European Winter Conferene on Brain Research, Les Arcs, France (2003).

Food intake in the face of plenty: Eating for no good reason? Symposium Organizer, Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior, Groningen, The Netherlands (2003).

Sydecan regulation of central melanocortins in energy balance. Invited symposium, European Winter Conference on Brain Research, Les Arcs, France (2004).

CNS metabolism and brain function: Plasticity and behavior. Invited symposium, European Winter Conference on Brain Research, Les Arcs, France (2004).

Drug discovery in the post-genomics era: A systems phenotyping approach. Invited Grand Rounds to UC Department of Psychiatry (2004).

Syndecan regulation of CNS melanocortin signaling in energy balance. Merck Pharmaceuticals: Invited talk (2004).

Novel roles for CNS syndecans: From memory to obesity. Vanderbilt University, Department of Endocrinology. Invited seminar (2004).

Roles of gut hormones in the regulation of energy balance. Canadian Diabetes Association. (2004).

Melanocortin regulation of energy balance. Invited symposium, European Winter Conference on Brain Research, Les Arcs, France (2005).

Current research on mechanisms of intake regulation and relevance to energy balance. Invited Symposium. Canadian Federation of Biological Societies, Guelph, ON. (2005).

Dietary fat and cognition. Invited symposium, Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior, Pittsburgh, PA (2005).

Peripheral central interactions in control of food intake and energy balance, Invited Seminar, Ascona Workshop, Switzerland (2005).

Grants, Awards & Honors

Role of CNS Insulin in Learning and Memory, P.I. (2002-2004). NIMH/NIH R03 award.

A Behavioral Core for the UC GRI, P.I. (2004). UC Dean's Discovery Fund Award.

Central Syndecans in CNS Melanocortin Regulation of Energy Balance, P.I. (2004-2008). NIDDK/NIH R01 award.

Ketogenic Diets, Energy Metabolism and Cognitive Aging, Co-I. (Robert Krikorian, P.I.). (2004). Unrestricted research gift from the Atkins Foundation.

Behavioral Mechanisms of CNS Melanocortin Action, P.I. (2004-2008). NIDDK/NIH R01 award.

Depressive Disorders and Cognitive Impairments as Predictors of Stroke Outcome. Co-I. (Lawson Wilsun and Brett Kissela, P.I.). (2005). Health Alliance / University Hospital grant for Neuroscience.

Cephalic Responses and Meal Feeding, Co-I. (SC Woods, P.I.). (pending). NIH/NIDDK R01 proposal.

Role of Estrogen Receptor Alpha in Body Weight Regulation, Co-I. (DJ Clegg, P.I.). (pending). NIH/NIDDK R01 proposal.

Behavioral Mechanisms in Dietary Induced Obesity, P.I. (pending). 5-year R01 award, submitted as part of a competing renewal Program Project Proposal to NIDDK entitled "Gut-Brain Mechanisms of Dietary Obesity" (SC Woods, P.I.).

Future Projects