Dr. Cai's laboratory is focused on understanding how diabetes and insulin resistance impact brain function. It is increasingly evident that brain is sensitive to insulin, the action of which is impaired in diabetes. People with diabetes and insulin resistance are more likely to develop chronic neurological diseases, such as major depression, Alzheimer's disease, and others. The central goal in the lab is to elucidate the key mechanisms explaining the comorbidity of diabetes, major depression, and Alzheimer's disease/AD-related dementia, in the hopes of developing novel and effective therapeutic strategies for these three major health crisis in the United States. To tackle this complex and important question, we utilize multiple experimental models and interdisciplinary approaches ranging from biochemistry, molecular biology, physiology, to systems biology. The major projects in Dr. Cai's laboratory include:

1) Astrocytes in Diabetes and Brain Metabolism;

2) Role of Astrocyte-Derived ATP Signaling in Regulating Amyloid Pathology in Alzheimer's Disease;

3) Role of Astrocytes-Derived ATP Signaling in the Dopamine Circuit and Major Depression.