Our laboratory is devoted to studying the neurobiological substrates of eating behavior and alcohol consumption and the mechanisms by which they relate to addiction and obesity. We investigate the highly interactive relationship between the diet consumed, consequent changes in circulating nutrients, and neurochemical systems in the brain. Our studies span from molecular and biochemical processes and neuronal development to complex behavioral phenomena related to biological rhythms, development and gender. Our goal is to use our basic knowledge of diet-brain interactions in animals for identifying biomarkers of excess consummatory behavior in humans, both children and adults, and developing therapies for treating eating disorders, including binge eating that commonly leads to obesity.