For a long time, the #Helferlab website mostly existed as a place to host publications, projects, and the occasional update. Recently, I spent some time properly rebuilding and updating it, and I realised it might also be a good place to start sharing some of the science, ideas, and questions that drive our work.
At #Helferlab, we are interested in how the brain regulates metabolism, appetite, ageing, and circadian rhythms. In simple terms: why our biology sometimes seems to work against us, why body weight can be so difficult to control, and how the timing of physiology may influence long-term health.
A lot of modern health challenges, such as obesity, poor sleep, metabolic disease, cognitive decline, are deeply connected. Yet biology is rarely as simple as “eat less and move more.” Hormones, brain circuits, inflammation, environment, biological timing, and behaviour all interact in fascinating ways.
Our work spans everything from molecular and cellular neuroscience to animal models, metabolism, and translational nutrition research. We study topics including:
- circadian clocks and body rhythms
- appetite and energy balance
- brain inflammation and healthy
- ageing
- nutritional interventions such as medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs)
- comparative physiology, including the remarkable biology of naked mole rats
This blog will be a space to share:
- new findings and papers
- ideas and emerging research directions
- myths and misconceptions in metabolism and health
- behind-the-scenes thoughts from academic research
- occasional big-picture discussions about where physiology and neuroscience may be heading
Some posts will be science-heavy. Others will simply explore interesting biological questions that I think deserve more attention.
The aim is not to oversimplify science, but to make it more accessible, engaging, and connected to real life.
And occasionally, probably, to share things that I simply find fascinating.
Welcome to #Helferlab!