Neurobiology of Behavior Laboratory

Azevedo Lab logo 350x389

Personal lab website: https://estefazevedo-xdjiq.wordpress.com/

Research Interests

The Azevedo Lab studies how the brain decides when to eat, explore, avoid danger, or adapt to stress. We are interested in how neural circuits combine information from the body, such as hunger, metabolism, and hormonal signals, with information from the environment, including threat, novelty, and reward. Our work uses cutting-edge neuroscience and biochemistry tools to record and manipulate brain activity in behaving animals, together with molecular and physiological approaches, to understand how stress and early-life experiences alter brain–body communication. Ultimately, we aim to identify mechanisms and novel targets that may contribute to disorders of feeding, metabolism, motivation, and stress-related behavior.

Personnel

  • Director: Estefania Azevedo
  • Post-Doctoral Fellow: Molly McDougle
  • Graduate Student: Victoria Glass

Current Research Projects

  1. Brain-Body connections in the controls of glucose homeostasis during health and stress
  2. Cholinergic control of feeding and energy balance in health and in neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism and Prader-Willi Syndrome

Opportunities for Undergraduates

Opportunities for Graduate Students

  • Graduate student training is available contingent upon research funding.
  • For information regarding joining our lab, contact Dr. Azevedo at espe9256@colorado.edu.

Opportunities for Postdoctoral Fellows

  • Graduate student training is available contingent upon research funding.
  • For information regarding joining our lab, contact Dr. Azevedo at espe9256@colorado.edu.

Recent Publications

  • McDougle M, Glass V, Subramanian S, Smith W, Frost PS, DePasquale B, Ha L, Koehler A, Thomas K., Capurso J, Berto S, Ledo J, Azevedo EP. (2026). A neurotensin brake on exploratory drive under persistent threat. BioRxiv. https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.07.29.741073
  • Glass V, McDougle M, Smith W, Dhillon P, Ha L, Ledo JH, Verrico CD, Azevedo EP. Efficacy of glucocorticoid modulator PT150 as a weight loss strategy. BiorXiv [Preprint]. 2026. Available from: DOI: https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.04.06.712688
  • Azevedo EP, Stern SA. Translational Perspectives on Binge-Eating: Insights from Animal Models. Curr Psychiatry Rep. 2026 Mar 5;28(1):17. doi: 10.1007/s11920-026-01661-9. PMID: 41781770; PMCID: PMC12960417.
  • Smith W, Azevedo EP. Hunger Games: A Modern Battle Between Stress and Appetite. J Neurochem. 2025 Feb;169(2):e70006. doi: 10.1111/jnc.70006. PMID: 39936619.
  • Azevedo EP. Celebrating 30 years of the discovery of leptin: a revolutionary shift in understanding obesity and metabolism. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2025 Feb 1;328(2):E272-E273. doi: 10.1152/ajpendo.00520.2024. Epub 2025 Jan 16. PMID: 39819157.
  • Azevedo EP, Ivan VJ, Friedman JM, Stern SA. Higher-Order Inputs Involved in Appetite Control. Biol Psychiatry. 2021 Jul 24:S0006-3223(21)01468-2. doi: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2021.07.015. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 34593204.
  • Stern SA, Azevedo EP, Pomeranz L, Doerig K and Friedman J. Top-down control of conditioned overconsumption is mediated by insular cortex Nos1 neurons. Cell Metabolism. 2021. Online. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmet.2021.03.001
  • Azevedo EP, Tan B, Pomeranz LE, Fetcho RN, Doerig KR, Scheneeberger M, Liston C, Friedman J and Stern SA. A limbic circuit selectively linking active escape to food suppression. eLife. 2020. 9:e58894. doi: 10.7554/eLife.58894.
  • Azevedo EP, Pomeranz L, Cheng J, Scheneeberger M, Vaughan R, Stern SA, Tan B, Greengard P and Friedman J. A Role of Drd2 Hippocampal neurons in context-dependent food intake. Neuron. 2019. doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2019.03.011.
  • Stern SA, Doerig K, Azevedo E, Stoffel, E and Friedman J. Control of non-homeostatic feeding in sated mice use associative learning of contextual food cues. Molecular Psychiatry. 2018. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-018-0072-y

Funding

  • 2023-2027, Whitehall Foundation
  • 2026-2027, PWSA-USA
  • 2026-2027, FPWR