University of Virginia-Main Campus · BiologyCampbell Neurobiology Lab
John Nelson Campbell · Charlottesville, Virginia
Research Focus
Dr. John Nelson Campbell's lab at the University of Virginia focuses on understanding the neural circuits that control body weight and heart rate. By using advanced techniques like viral tracing and molecular profiling, the team investigates how specific types of neurons influence appetite and metabolism, as well as heart function. This research aims to identify new targets for treating obesity and heart disease by unraveling the complex connections between these neural pathways and their effects on health.
neural circuitsbody weightappetite regulationheart ratecardiovagal neuronsmetabolismobesityenergy balanceneuroanatomy
Research Aims
5AIM 01Identify synaptically connected neurons involved in body weight control.
AIM 02Characterize the molecular profiles of afferent neurons to AgRP and POMC neurons.
AIM 03Investigate how neural circuits adapt to caloric changes in the body.
AIM 04Classify subtypes of neurons in the nucleus ambiguus essential for heart rate control.
AIM 05Map the synaptic inputs and outputs of specific cardiovagal neuron subtypes.
Skills the Lab Values
monosynaptic rabies tracingsingle-cell transcriptomicsviral vector techniquesimmunohistochemistryin vivo electrophysiologyoptogeneticsmolecular profilingmouse modelsdata visualization using Python
Output against the department
Publications75bottom 22% of dept.809th of 1,033
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations3.7kbottom 28% of dept.741st of 1,033
this lab
most citedleast cited
Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. A department spans everything from one paper to tens of thousands, so bar heights are on a log scale — otherwise the largest lab would flatten every other bar to a line.