This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. Obesity and the related morbidity of type 2 diabetes mellitus disproportionately affect a number of minority groups, including the predominantly Hispanic population of the border region served by the University of Texas at El Paso. The Neurological and Metabolic Disorders Unit of the Border Biomedical Research Center will consolidate its efforts into a focused and integrated program of research on the neurological, genetic, and behavioral aspects of energy turnover and regulation. Studies ranging from subcellular mechanisms of motile protein organization to behavioral aspects of nutrient selection in human diets will be carried out by a core group of six investigators in the Departments of Biological Sciences and Psychology. Funds are requested to enhance the infrastructure for research in these areas, through purchase of equipment and supplies, travel support, and extended collaborations with visiting scientists. The critical mass of the unit will be increased by addition of two tenure-track faculty one to work on cellular mechanisms of hormone action, the other to focus on systemic metabolic regulatory mechanisms. Funds are also requested to support two Research Assistants to help sustain the momentum toward external grant support already realized by a majority of the core faculty in this unit. The ultimate aim of the unit is to advance through biomedical research the prospects of alleviating the debilitating effects of obesity and metabolic disorders in the predominantly minority population of the El Paso-Ciudad Juarez region, and provide a productive research environment for training minority biomedical scientis
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