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Dr. Thomas W Castonguay

Professor Emeritus

Professor Emeritus

Nutrition & Food Science 0112 Skinner Building 4300 Chapel Lane College Park, Maryland 20742-7521
301 405-4503 301 405-4519

Expertise

  • control of food intake
  • obesity
  • neuroendocrinology
  • Gene-nutrient Regulation

RESEARCH FOCUS

  • Effects of exercise, age and body composition on metabolic flexibility measured by
  • Indirect calorimetry influence of sugars on the human hypothalamic BOLD response as measured by fMRI
  • The influence of sugars on hypothalamic genes regulating food intake and body composition; 11 beta hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase – 1 and its role in dietary obesity

Curriculum Vitae:

  • Education:
    • Post-Doc in Nutrition. University of California - Davis CA. 1980-82.
      • Post-Doc in Psychology. Florida St. Univ.,Tallahassee, FL. 1978-79.
        • Ph.D. in Psychology. Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, NJ. 1978.
        • M.A. in Psychology. Mt. Holyoke College., So. Hadley, MA. 1975.
        • B.A. in Psychology. Framingham St. Coll., Framingham, MA. 1973.

Principal Academic Responsibilities:

  • NFSC 100: Elements of Nutrition
  • NFSC 450: Food and Nutrient Analysis
  • NFSC 630: Energy Balance
  • Research Activities: I am interested in the mechanisms that control food intake and body composition. In particular, my research focuses on how glucoregulation is achieved and how dietary obesity can be explained in part as a failure of glucoregulation.​
  • Representative Publications:

  •  Roth MJ, Baer DJ, Castonguay TW, Judd JT, Dorgan JF, Dawsey SM, Brown ED, Hartman TJ, Corle DK, Campbell WS, Giffen CA, Taylor PR. 2003. The association between serum leptin and alcohol consumption in a controlled feeding study. Journal of the National Cancer Institute 95: 1722-1725.

  • Gemmill ME, Eskay RL, Hall NL, Douglass LW, Castonguay TW. 2003. Effect of leptin on food intake and body weight in adrenalectomized rats with corticosterone replacement. Journal of Nutrition 133: 504-509.

  • Castonguay TW, Beaulieu S, Eskay RL, Barden N, Kamara K, Khozin S, Lustberg L,Brown L. 2002. The effects of adrenalectomy and aldosterone replacement in transgenic mice expressing antisense RNA to the Type-2 glucocorticoid receptor. Physiology and Behavior 77: 417-423.

  • VanderWeele DA, Dess NK, Castonguay TW. 2002. Ingestional responses to metabolic challenges in rats selectively bred for high and low saccharin intake. Physiology and Behavior 75: 97-104.

  • Bai H, Castonguay TW. 2002. Effects of adrenalectomy and hormone replacement on B6CF1 mice fed a high fat diet. Physiology and Behavior 72: 493-498.  

  • Habash T, Eskay RL, Kuenzel WL, Castonguay TW. 2000. Some interactions of glucocorticoids, NPY and hypothalamic serotonin. Nutritional Neuroscience 3: 183-192.

  • E.London#, G. Lala#, R.Berger#, A. Panzenbeck#, A.A. Kohli#, M. Renner#,  A. Jackson#, T. Raynor#, K. Loya# and T.W.Castonguay^*. Sucrose access differentially modifies 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase-1 and hexose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase message in liver and adipose tissue in rats.  Journal of Nutrition 137: 2616-2621, 2007

  • London#, E. and T.W. Castonguay^*. Diet and the role of 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase -1 on obesity Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry 20(7):485-93. Epub 2009 May 14.

  • London#, E. and T.W. Castonguay^*.  High fructose diets increase 11 beta hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 in liver and visceral adipose in rats within 24-h exposure.Obesity 19: 925-932.doi:10.1038 /oby.2010.284

  • Brown#*, L.M., C.T. Hansen,  A. F. Huberty, T. W. Castonguay^ Traits of the metabolic syndrome alter corpulent obesity in LAN, SHR and DSS rats: Behavioral and metabolic interactions with adrenalectomy.   Physiology and Behavior (2011). 103(1): 98-103.  Epub 2010 Dec 31.

  • Campbell#, E.S. and T.W. Castonguay*^. Fructose intake and circulating triglycerides: an examination of the role of APOC 3.  Journal of Diabetes and Obesity (2014) 1 (1): 1-7.

  • Colley#, D.L., T.W. Castonguay^*. Effects of sugar solutions on hypothalamic appetite regulation. Physiology & Behavior (2015), 139 (2):202-209. DOI info: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2014.11.025

  • Zhao#, C., E. S. Campbell#, A.E. Tschiffely# and T.W. Castonguay^*. Overnight access to sugar solutions affects mRNA expression of several neuropeptides in different hypothalamic regions in rats. Journal of Food and Nutrition Research (2015), 3(1): 69-76.

  • Zhao#, C., Tschiffely#, A.E., and T.W. Castonguay^*. Effect of sugars on mRNA expression of 11β-HSD1 in the hypothalamus of rats after 24 hour exposure. Journal of Agriculture and Life Sciences (2015), 2(1): 1-6.

  • Zhao#, C. and T. W. Castonguay^*. Effects of Free Access to Sugar Sweetened Drinks on Energy Control.  Food Reviews International 2016 (In Press)

  • Li#, H., T.L. Guo, J. Parry^, S. Pao, and T.W. Castonguay*. Grape Pomace Aqueous Extract Inhibits α-Glucosidase in vitro and Suppresses Postprandial Hyperglycemia in vivo. Food and Nutrition Science 2016 (In Press).

Awards and Honors:

  • Univ Maryland at College Park Certificate of Teaching Excellence award, 2002.
  • ​Univ Maryland at College Park Certificate of Teaching Excellence award, 2000.
  • Univ Maryland at College Park Certificate of Teaching Excellence award, 1998.
  • Univ Maryland at College Park College of Agriculture and Natural Resources Alumni Association Excellence in Research award, 1997.