Is there a difference between the way that the female and male brain controls appetite? One of this year’s Ragnar Söderberg researchers in medicine plans to find out.
Karolina Skibicka is one of seven promising young Ragnar Söderberg researchers in medicine for 2014. She has been awarded a five-year, SEK 8 million grant for her research on the role that estrogen plays in causing obesity.
“Obesity is a problem among both women and men,” Ms. Skibicka says. “Nevertheless, nearly all clinical studies have included men only. Given that women and men respond differently to the signals that control appetite, that approach has significantly limited our knowledge.”
As a result, effective drugs may have been overlooked even though women could have benefited from them.
“Our research data suggest that the female and male brain each has its own way of processing the signals from the stomach that reduce appetite,” Ms. Skibicka continues. “Our hypothesis is that estrogen, which is found in higher levels among women than men, strengthens the brain’s capacity in that respect. Our studies will explore this interaction and determine whether it can be used to discover a more effective treatment for obesity.”
In order to qualify, a researcher must have earned a PhD in 2008 or 2009 and have never received a major grant before. The grant is awarded following a painstaking peer review process by highly experienced experts. Among the criteria are the ability to come up with original ideas and the motivation to pursue long-term, groundbreaking research.
This is the third year that Ragnar Söderberg researchers in medicine have been named.
2014 Ragnar Söderberg researchers in medicine
Karolina Skibicka, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg
Cristian Bellodi, Lund University
Liv Eidsmo, Karolinska Institutet
Vasili Hauryliuk, Umeå University
Göran Karlsson, Lund University
Lars Maegdefessel, Karolinska Institutet
Katja Petzold, Karolinska Institutet
