Ganga Gokulakrishnan, MD

Education

Personal Statement

There is evidence from human epidemiological studies that babies who experience malnutrition during late gestation and have a low birth weight have lower muscle strength and lower lean body mass as adults. Such babies experience a higher incidence of diabetes, hypertension, obesity and osteoporosis as adults. It is unclear how maternal malnutrition brings about such an effect on muscle.

My research interest focuses on the various factors in the perinatal and postnatal period that can influence skeletal muscle mass and thus lean body mass. Using a rat model, we are interested in looking at the short term effects as well as the long term consequences of nutrition and glucocorticoids on the regulation of muscle growth in early life.

Organization

Selected Publications

Gokulakrishnan G, Estrada IJ, Sosa HA, Fiorotto ML. In Utero Glucocorticoid Exposure Reduces Fetal Skeletal Muscle Mass in Rats Independent of Effects on Maternal Nutrition. American Journal of Physiology: Regulatory, Integrative andComparative Physiology 2012 May; 302(10):R1143-52.