Maria Barnes, Ph.D.

One of the questions that my laboratory investigates is why does hypertension develops when individuals become obese or gain a significant amount of weight.  I’m a neuroscientist by training, so my research gravitates towards the brain.  Specifically, I investigate changes in neuronal populations that are located in cardio-regulatory sights within the brain.  I’m interested in identify the mechanisms which contributes to these neurons being augmented when obesity develops which ultimately could contribute to the development of hypertension.