UCDavis University of California

Education

• Ph.D., Physiology, University of California, Davis
• B.A., Biology, California State University, Fresno

Research Interests

Dr. Laugero´s research is aimed at understanding the role and underpinnings of chronic psychosocial stress in dysfunctional eating behaviors, particularly as they relate to obesity and the metabolic syndrome. Targeted at many points along a newly identified metabolic-brain axis, several approaches (e.g., functional brain imaging, metabolomics, neuroendocrinology) are being used to study the bi-directional relationship between chronic psychosocial stress and nutritional behavior. The overarching objective of this research is to create and test nutrition based interventions and drive other strategies that mitigate the effects of chronic stress on and facilitate long term changes in nutritional behavior critical to physical as well as mental health.

Chronic psychological stress is clearly affiliated with abdominal obesity, cardiovascular disease, and other features of the metabolic syndrome. Furthermore, chronic stress has profound effects on eating behavior, and psychological factors like chronic psychosocial stress may present significant barriers to long term changes in nutritional behaviors directed at reducing body weight and improving metabolic health.

Selected Publications

• Mary F. Dallman, Norman Pecoraro, Susanne E. la Fleur, James P. Warne, Abigail B. Ginsberg, Susan F. Akana, Kevin D. Laugero, Hani Houshyar, Alison M. Strack, Seema Bhatnagar, and Mary E. Bell. (2006) In: Progress in Brain Research, Chapter 4: Glucocorticoids, Chronic Stress, and Obesity, Volume 153, pages 75 - 105, eds. A. Kalsbeek et al.).
• Norman Pecoraro, James P Warne, Abigail B Ginsberg, Kevin D Laugero, Susanne EF la Fleur, Hani Houshyar, Francisca Gomez, Susan F Akana, Aditi Bhargava, and Mary F Dallman. (2006) From Malthus to Motive: How the HPA Axis Engineers the Phenotype, Yoking Needs to Wants. Progress in Neurobiology, Volume 79, pages 247 - 340.
• Christine M. Mack, Candace Moore, Carolyn Jodka, Sunil Bhavsar, Julie K. Wilson, Julie Hoyt, , Jennifer Roan, Calvin Vu, Kevin D. Laugero, David G. Parkes, and Andrew A. Young (2006) Antiobesity action of peripheral exenatide (exendin-4) in rodents: effects on food intake, body weight, metabolic status and side-effect measures.. International Journal of Obesity, 30(9):1332-40.
• Christine M. Mack, Julie K. Wilson, Jennifer L. Roan, Kevin Laugero, Garet Heinz, and David G. Parkes (2006) Effect of the B-Cell Hormone Amylin on Food Intake, Body Weight, Locomotor Activity and Kaolin Consumption: Evidence of a Role for Amylin in the Regulation of Food Intake (Submitted to Endocrinology).
• Kevin D. Laugero.(2004) Reinterpretation of glucocorticoid feedback in the HPA axis; implications to behavioral and metabolic disease. Invited review chapter in: Vitamins and Hormones, Volume 68. Ed. Gerald Litwack.
• Kevin D. Laugero (2004) Chronic stress triggers a dietary imbalance that favors palatable food consumption: relation to abdominal obesity. Invited lay summary for Society for Neuroscience media guide. Society for Neuroscience annual conference media guide, Part II, pages 945 - 946, San Diego, CA.
• Mary F. Dallman, Norman Pecoraro, Susan F. Akana, Susanne E. la Fleur, Francisca Gomez, Hani Houshyar, M. E. Bell, Seema Bhatnagar, Kevin D. Laugero, and Sotara Manalo (2003) Chronic stress and obesity: A new view of ''comfort food''. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 100(20): 11696-11701. Faculty 1000 evaluated: http://www.facultyof1000.com/article/12975524.
• Mary F. Dallman, Susan F. Akana, Kevin D. Laugero, Francisco Gomez, Sotara Manalo, M.E. Bell, Seema Bhatnagar (2003) A spoonful of sugar: feedback signals of energy stores and corticosterone regulate responses to chronic stress. Physiology and Behavior, 70, 3 - 12.
• Kevin D. Laugero, Francisca Gomez, Sotara Manalo, and Mary F. Dallman (2002) Corticosterone (B) infused intracerebroventricularly (icv) inhibits energy storage and stimulates the hypothalamo-pituitary axis in adrenalectomized rats drinking sucrose. Endocrinology, 143(12):4552-62.
• Bell, M.E., Bhargava, A, Soriano, L, Laugero, K.D., Akana, S.F., Dallman, M.F. (2002) Sucrose and corticosterone interact to modulate behavior, energy balance, autonomic outflow, and neuroendocrine responses during chronic cold. Journal of Neuroendocrinology, 14:4, 330 - 342.
• Norman Pecoraro, Francisca Gomez, Kevin D. Laugero, Mary F. Dallman. (2002) Brief access to sucrose engages food-entrainable rhythms in food-deprived rats. Behavioral Neuroscience, 116(5), 757-76.
• Kevin D. Laugero, M.E. Bell, S. Bhatnagar, L. Soriano, M.F. Dallman. (2001) Sucrose ingestion normalizes central expression of corticotropin-releasing-factor mRNA and energy balance in adrenalectomized rats: a glucocorticoid-metabolic-brain axis? Endocrinology, 142:7, 2796-2804.
• Kevin D. Laugero. (2001) A new perspective on glucocorticoid feedback: relation to stress, carbohydrate feeding, and feeling better. Journal of Neuroendocrinology: Young Investigator Perspectives, 13, 827-835.
• Mary F. Dallman, Victor G. Viau, Seema Bhatnagar, Francisca Gomez, Kevin Laugero, and M.E. Bell. (2001) Corticotropin-releasing-factor (CRF), corticosteroids, stress and sugar: energy balance, the brain and behavior. In: Hormones, Brain, and Behavior, Vol. 1, Pages 571 - 631.
• J.M. Belanger, J.H. Son, K.D. Laugero, G.P. Moberg, S.I. Doroshov1, and J.J. Cech, Jr.. (2001) Effects of Short-term Management Stress and ACTH Injections on Plasma Cortisol Levels in Cultured White Sturgeon. Acipenser transmontanus. Aquaculture, 203 (165 - 176).
• Laugero, K.D. and Moberg, G.P. (2000) Impact of acute behavioral and immunological stress on growth and energetics in mice. Physiology and Behavior, 68(415-422).
• Laugero, K.D. and Moberg, G.P. (2000) Energetic response to repeated restraint stress in rapidly growing mice. American Journal of Physiology: Section of Endocrinology and Metabolism 279:E33-E43.
• Laugero, K.D. and Moberg, G.P. (2000) Summation of behavioral and immunological stress: metabolic consequences to the growing mouse. American Journal of Physiology: Section of Endocrinology and Metabolism 279:E44-E49.
• Dallman, M.F., Akana, S.F., Bell, M.E., Bhatnagar S., Choi, S.J., Chu, A., Gomez, F., Laugero, K., Soriano, L., Viau, V. (1999) Warning! Nearby construction can profoundly affect your experiments. Endocrine, 11: 111-113.