Welcome to our lab! Research in the Riera lab focuses on the discovery of neural circuits regulating metabolic balance in the context of obesity, diabetes and the aging process.

Vital processes such as the maintenance of energy metabolism rely on a great number of cues, both internal and external, sent to the brain. What are the sensory cues received by the brain to monitor energy balance?How does the brain integrate these cues? These are important questions which our lab aims at answering. 

We study the role of central and peripheral sensory neural circuits in metabolic health and aging by using cutting edge mouse genetics, novel molecular technologies applied to Neuroscience and Molecular Physiology. Our mission is to discover novel target genes playing a fundamental role in the onset of diabetes and obesity, and design pre-clinical strategies to ameliorate metabolic function in mouse models of disease