University of Iowa · NeuroscienceMetabolic Balance Lab
Huxing Cui · Iowa City, Iowa
Research Focus
Dr. Huxing Cui's lab at the University of Iowa focuses on understanding how certain brain cells in the hypothalamus control metabolism differently between males and females. They study a specific signaling pathway that is linked to obesity, especially in women. The lab uses advanced techniques to explore how changes in neuron function can influence energy balance, with the ultimate goal of helping to develop better obesity treatments.
metabolic homeostasissex-specific obesityhypothalamic signalingneuronal excitabilityciliary signaling
Research Aims
3AIM 01Investigate if Adcy3 is necessary for metabolic homeostasis in VMHvl region.
AIM 02Evaluate if increasing Adcy3 activity can prevent obesity in female mice.
AIM 03Examine how loss of Adcy3 affects neuron excitability and neurotransmitter release.
Skills the Lab Values
cell cultureelectrophysiologyimmunohistochemistrygene expression analysis (ChIP-seq)mouse models
Output against the department
Publications72bottom 20% of dept.535th of 671
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations2.4kbottom 15% of dept.569th of 671
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.