Funding Agency:

Elekta

Total Project Period:

1/1/03 - 5/31/08

Total Project Award:

$81,764

Principal Investigator:

Ajay Niranjan, MD

Co-Investigators:

L. Dade Lunsford, MD

Project Summary:

Obesity is a major health problem. The hypothalamus plays an important role in the regulation of appetite and body weight. Early studies show that in both rats and humans, lesions in the lateral area of the hypothalamus (hunger center) are associated with anorexia and weight loss.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is an effective way to radiologically delineate the lateral hypothalamus. Gamma Knife surgery is a type of radiation widely used for treatment of brain disorders. We have the methodology available to radiologically localize the lateral hypothalamus with magnetic resonance imaging and target this area with gamma knife radiosurgery.

The current experiments will address the potential role of stereotactic gamma knife radiosurgery in partially ablating the lateral hypothalamic area, as a treatment for obesity in a primate model.