Michael J. Krashes, Ph.D.

Senior Investigator

Diabetes, Endocrinology, & Obesity Branch

NIDDK

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Building NIHBC 10 - Clinical Center, Room 5N314A
10 Center Dr
Bethesda, 10 Center Dr 20892

michael.krashes@nih.gov

Research Topics

The ultimate goal of my research is to decipher the wiring diagram that underlies hunger. To achieve this, we employ novel genetic tools and techniques to dissect conserved feeding circuits with the hopes of furthering our understanding of the behaviors that drive humans to obtain food and ultimately how these behaviors can be manipulated to battle human eating afflictions.

Biography

  • Ph.D., University of Massachusetts Medical School, 2009

Selected Publications

  1. Gao C, Geneve IC, Rodriguez-Gonzalez S, Li C, McElhern K, Reitman ML, Lutas A, Krashes MJ. Semaglutide drives weight loss through cAMP-dependent mechanisms in GLP1R-expressing hindbrain neurons. Nat Metab. 2026;8(6):1330-1349.
  2. Alcantara IC, Li C, Gao C, Rodriguez González S, Mickelsen LE, Papas BN, Goldschmidt AI, Cohen IM, Mazzone CM, de Araujo Salgado I, Piñol RA, Xiao C, Karolczak EO, Li JL, Cui G, Reitman ML, Krashes MJ. A hypothalamic circuit that modulates feeding and parenting behaviours. Nature. 2025;645(8082):981-990.
  3. de Araujo Salgado I, Krashes MJ. High-fat food reinforces risk taking by suppressing defensive neurons. Curr Biol. 2026;36(1):49-62.e4.
  4. Webster AN, Becker JJ, Li C, Schwalbe DC, Kerspern D, Karolczak EO, Bundon CB, Onoharigho RA, Crook M, Jalil M, Godschall EN, Dame EG, Dawer A, Belmont-Rausch DM, Pers TH, Lutas A, Habib N, Güler AD, Krashes MJ, Campbell JN. Molecular connectomics reveals a glucagon-like peptide 1-sensitive neural circuit for satiety. Nat Metab. 2024;6(12):2354-2373.
  5. de Araujo Salgado I, Li C, Burnett CJ, Rodriguez Gonzalez S, Becker JJ, Horvath A, Earnest T, Kravitz AV, Krashes MJ. Toggling between food-seeking and self-preservation behaviors via hypothalamic response networks. Neuron. 2023;111(18):2899-2917.e6.

Related Scientific Focus Areas

This page was last updated on Wednesday, September 16, 2026