Michiru Hirasawa, Memorial University of Newfoundland

Research

Food Intake Hypothalamus Energy Homeostasis High Fat Diet Inflammation Melanin Concentrating Hormone Obesity Prostaglandin

Latest papers

Dependence of energy balance and hypothalamic neuropeptide gene expression on initial tumor load in mice.
Frontiers in oncology · 2026 · senior author
Refining the role of the paraventricular hypothalamus in feeding behavior.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2025 · senior author
Electrophysiological properties of melanin-concentrating hormone neuron subpopulations defined by anatomical localization and CART expression.
Frontiers in cellular neuroscience · 2024 · senior author

All 27 publications

Latest funding

Identification of neural circuits underlying obesity
CIHR · 2021 · Supervisor
$6,000
Neuronal and non-neuronal excitatory transmission in the hypothalamus
NSERC · 2020 · Principal investigator
$210,000
Prostaglandin-E2-mediated activation of melanin-concentrating hormone neurons in diet-induced obesity
CIHR · 2018 · Supervisor
$105,000

All 12 grants and awards

27 publications.

01

Dependence of energy balance and hypothalamic neuropeptide gene expression on initial tumor load in mice.

Licursi M, Morden C, Riwa DG, Briggs H, Hirasawa K, Hirasawa M

Frontiers in oncology2026Senior author

DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2026.1783555 PMID: 42239891

02

Refining the role of the paraventricular hypothalamus in feeding behavior.

Fang LZ, Hirasawa M

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America2025Senior author

DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2506038122 PMID: 40324098

03

Electrophysiological properties of melanin-concentrating hormone neuron subpopulations defined by anatomical localization and CART expression.

Adekunle RD, Chowdhury MS, Fang LZ, Hirasawa M

Frontiers in cellular neuroscience2024Senior author

DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2024.1439752 PMID: 39911950

04

GluN3A and Excitatory Glycine Receptors in the Adult Hippocampus.

Hurley EP, Mukherjee B, Fang LZ, Barnes JR, Barron JC, Nafar F, Hirasawa M, Parsons MP

The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience2024

DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0401-24.2024 PMID: 39256046

05

Prostaglandin E2 activates melanin-concentrating hormone neurons to drive diet-induced obesity.

Fang LZ, Linehan V, Licursi M, Alberto CO, Power JL, Parsons MP, Hirasawa M

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America2023Senior author

DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2302809120 PMID: 37467285

06

Short-term Fasting Induces Alternate Activation of Orexin and Melanin-concentrating Hormone Neurons in Rats.

Linehan V, Hirasawa M

Neuroscience2022Senior author

DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2022.04.006 PMID: 35405302

07

High-fat diet induces time-dependent synaptic plasticity of the lateral hypothalamus.

Linehan V, Fang LZ, Parsons MP, Hirasawa M

Molecular metabolism2020Senior author

DOI: 10.1016/j.molmet.2020.100977 PMID: 32277924

08

Sleep deprivation-induced pre- and postsynaptic modulation of orexin neurons.

Briggs C, Bowes SC, Semba K, Hirasawa M

Neuropharmacology2019Senior author

DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2018.12.025 PMID: 30586566

09

Prolonged High Fat Diet Worsens the Cellular Response to a Small, Covert-like Ischemic Stroke.

Fifield KE, Rowe TM, Raman-Nair JB, Hirasawa M, Vanderluit JL

Neuroscience2019

DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2019.01.050 PMID: 30731155

10

Dopamine modulates excitatory transmission to orexin neurons in a receptor subtype-specific manner.

Linehan V, Rowe TM, Hirasawa M

American journal of physiology. Regulatory, integrative and comparative physiology2019Senior author

DOI: 10.1152/ajpregu.00150.2018 PMID: 30462527

Identification of neural circuits underlying obesity

SupervisorCIHR2021Canada Graduate Scholarships - Michael Smith Foreign Study Supplements

Principal investigators: Fang, Lisa

Keywords: Ep2r; High-Fat Diet; Melanin-Concentrating Neurons; Obsesity

$6,000

Neuronal and non-neuronal excitatory transmission in the hypothalamus

Principal investigatorNSERC2020Discovery Grants Program - Individual

Principal investigators: Hirasawa, Michiru

$210,000

Prostaglandin-E2-mediated activation of melanin-concentrating hormone neurons in diet-induced obesity

SupervisorCIHR2018Doctoral Award - Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarships

Principal investigators: Fang, Lisa

Keywords: High-Fat Diet; Hypothalamus; Melanin-Concentrating Hormone Neuron; Neuroinflammation; Obesity; Patch Clamp Electrophysiology; Prostaglandin E2

$105,000

Electrophysiology core facility for cellular and molecular neuroscience research

Co-investigatorNSERC2017Research Tools and Instruments

Principal investigators: Parsons, Matthew

$148,816

Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF), a novel factor regulates hyperphagia and obesity associated with atypical antipsychotics

Co-investigatorCIHR2017Project Grant

Principal investigators: Qi, Dake

Keywords: Atyical Antipsychotics; Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor; Metabolic Dysfunction; Procytokine

$650,250

Mechanism for high fat diet-induced activation of MCH neurons and its role in obesity

Nominated PICIHR2016Project Grant

Principal investigators: Hirasawa, Michiru

Keywords: Energy Homeostasis; Food Intake; High Fat Diet; Hypothalamus; Inflammation; Melanin Concentrating Hormone; Obesity; Prostaglandin

$531,675

Hypothalamic control of energy balance and food reinforcement

Nominated PICIHR2012Operating Grant - PA: Regional Partnership Program - Newfoundland and Labrador

Principal investigators: Hirasawa, Michiru

Keywords: Dopamine; Fasting; Food Intake; Hypothalamus; Orexin Neuron; Patch Clamp Recording; Synaptic Plasticity; Synaptic Transmission

$158,515

The role of synaptic plasticity in the lateral hypothalamus: implications for energy homeostasis and obesity

SupervisorCIHR2012Doctoral Research Award - PA: RPP - Newfoundland and Labrador

Principal investigators: Linehan, Victoria

Keywords: Electrophysiology; Energy Homeostasis; Lateral Hypothalamus; Obesity; Orexin; Patch-Clamp; Synaptic Plasticity

$52,500

Plasticity of spontaneous synaptic transmission in the hypothalamus

Principal investigatorNSERC2011Discovery Grants Program - Accelerator Supplements

Principal investigators: Hirasawa, Michiru

$120,000

Plasticity of spontaneous synaptic transmission in the hypothalamus

Principal investigatorNSERC2011Discovery Grants Program - Individual

Principal investigators: Hirasawa, Michiru

$320,000

From CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC funding decisions: CIHR since 2008, NSERC since 1991 and SSHRC since 1998, including their latest published competition results.

Frequent collaborators

Biomedical Sciences
Medical Neuroscience

Co-authors at Memorial University of Newfoundland, colored by department. Thicker lines mean more shared papers; select anyone to open their profile and their own map.

Kazue Semba

Medical Neuroscience

2 shared papers, latest 2019

Kensuke Hirasawa

Biomedical Sciences

2 shared papers, latest 2026

Dake Qi

Biomedical Sciences

1 shared papers, latest 2018

Write to this professor

A short, specific email works best. This draft uses one of their recent papers; replace the parts in brackets with your own details before sending.

Applying for

Paper to mentionMention their NSERC grant from 2020

Subject: Prospective PhD student: Food Intake Dear Professor Hirasawa, My name is [your name], and I am a [your current degree or role] at [your institution]. I am applying for a PhD position starting in [term and year]. I read your paper "Dependence of energy balance and hypothalamic neuropeptide gene expression on initial tumor load in mice." (2026), and it connects closely to my own work on [your research topic]. [One or two sentences on what you did and what you learned.] I also saw your NSERC-funded project "Neuronal and non-neuronal excitatory transmission in the hypothalamus" (2020), and I would be glad to contribute to work in that direction. Are you accepting new PhD students for [term and year]? I have attached my CV and transcripts, and I would be glad to talk at a time that suits you. Thank you for your time. Kind regards, [your name]