Derek Daniels

PhD

Derek Daniels.

Derek Daniels

PhD

Derek Daniels

PhD

Research Interests

Anatomical and biochemical basis of ingestive behaviors, including food, water, and salt intake.

Education

  • PhD, University of Pennsylvania

Current Research

Research in my laboratory focuses on the neural mechanisms involved in the control of drinking and eating. Thirst and hunger are critical drives that ensure animals maintain appropriate levels of hydration and energy, respectively. Disruptions in fluid and energy homeostasis are associated with a variety of disease states including, but not limited to, hypertension and obesity. Two specific areas of interest include: 1) understanding the separate but overlapping circuits that control hunger and thirst, especially with respect to the role played by glucagon-like peptide-1 in drinking and feeding; and 2) using the enhanced response to repeated bouts of thirst as a model system to understand circuits that incorporate learning into the control of ingestive behavior.

Active Funding

Parsing the central control of thirst and hunger using a rat model of diabetes insipidus, National Institutes of Health (NIDDK), 8/17/2022 – 5/31/2026, $2,117,234

Selected Publications

  • Brakey, D.J., K.C. Schatz, M.J. Paul, & D. Daniels (2023) The role of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) in fluid and food intakes in vasopressin-deficient Brattleboro rats. Physiology & Behavior, 262: 114093. PMCID: PMC9974868
  • Santollo, J., D. Daniels, M. Leshem, and J. Schulkin (2023) Sex differences in salt appetite: perspectives from animal models and human studies. Nutrients, 15(1), 208. PMCID: PMC9824138
  • Volcko, K.L., D.J. Brakey, T.E. McNamara, M.J. Meyer, N.J. McKay, J. Santollo, and D. Daniels (2022) Control of water intake by a pathway from the nucleus of the solitary tract to the paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus. Appetite, 172:105943 PMCID: PMC9903207
  • Mietlicki-Baase, E.G., J. Santollo, and D. Daniels (2021) Fluid intake, what’s dopamine got to do with it? Physiology & Behavior,  236: 113418. PMCID: PMC33838203
  • Volcko, K.L., Q. Carroll, D. Brakey, and D. Daniels (2020) High-fat diet alters fluid intake without reducing sensitivity to glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist effects. Physiology & Behavior, 221:112910. PMCID: PMC7266080
  • Volcko, K.L., D. Brakey, J.T. Pryzbyz, and D. Daniels (2020) Exclusively drinking sucrose or saline early in life alters adult drinking behavior in rats. Appeite, 149:104616. PMCID: PMC7078040
  • Santollo, J. and D. Daniels. (2019) Anorexigenic effect of estradiol in the medial preoptic area occur through membrane-associated estrogen receptors and metabotropic glutamate receptors. Hormones and Behavior, 107: 20-25. PMCID: PMC PMC6348004
  • Santollo, J., K.L. Volcko, and D. Daniels (2018) Sex differences in the desensitizing effect of repeated injections of angiotensin II. Endocrinology, 159(2):676-684. PMCID: PMC5774252
  • Postolache, M., J. Santollo, and D. Daniels (2017) Associative learning contributes to the increased water intake observed after daily injections of angiotensin II. Physiology & Behavior, 179:340-345. PMCID: PMC5581244
  • Plyler, K.S. and D. Daniels. (2017) Effect of fourth ventricle injection of ghrelin on angiotensin II-induced neuronal activation. Physiology & Behavior, 178:35-42. PMCID: PMC5438304
  • Daniels. D. (2016) Angiotensin II (de)sensitization: fluid intake studies with implications for cardiovascular control. Physiology & Behavior, 162:141-146. PMCID: PMC4899264
  • Santollo, J. and D. Daniels.(2015) Multiple estrogen receptor subtypes influence ingestive behavior in female rodents. Physiology & Behavior, 152: 431-437. PMCID: PMC4661102
  • McKay, N.J., D.L. Galante, and D. Daniels. (2014) Fluid and food intakes engage separable elements of the endogenous glucagon-like peptide-1 system in rats. Journal of Neuroscience, 34(49):16417-23. PMCID: PMC4252551
  • Vento, P.J. and D. Daniels. (2014) The anteroventral third ventricle region is critical for the behavioral desensitization caused by repeated injections of angiotensin II. Behavioural Brain Research, 258: 27-33.PMCID: PMC3886285.