School of Biomedical Sciences,
Department of Biological Sciences
Colleen M Novak is a Professor of Biological Sciences at Kent State University. She received her undergraduate honors degree from the University of Iowa, and her doctoral degree in Neuroscience from Michigan State University.
Dr. Novak’s research focuses on physical activity—how the brain influences the timing and amount of activity, as well as the energetic efficiency of activity. This led to her interest in skeletal muscle thermogenesis and the discovery that exposure to predator threat provokes a strong thermogenic response in muscle. Currently, her laboratory examines the brain, autonomic, and muscle mechanisms underlying this contextual induction of muscle thermogenesis while encouraging the involvement of undergraduate students in research.
Spontaneous activity, economy of activity, and resistance to diet-induced obesity in rats bred for high intrinsic aerobic capacity.
Hormones and behavior Aug, 2010 | Pubmed ID: 20350549
Transgenic expression of cholesterol 7alpha-hydroxylase in the liver prevents high-fat diet-induced obesity and insulin resistance in mice.
Hepatology (Baltimore, Md.) Aug, 2010 | Pubmed ID: 20623580
Dissociation of diabetes and obesity in mice lacking orphan nuclear receptor small heterodimer partner.
Journal of lipid research Dec, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21949050
The use of a running wheel to measure activity in rodents: relationship to energy balance, general activity, and reward.
Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews Mar, 2012 | Pubmed ID: 22230703
Neuropeptides controlling energy balance: orexins and neuromedins.
Handbook of experimental pharmacology , 2012 | Pubmed ID: 22249811
Loss of FXR protects against diet-induced obesity and accelerates liver carcinogenesis in ob/ob mice.
Molecular endocrinology (Baltimore, Md.) Feb, 2012 | Pubmed ID: 22261820
Smokeless weight loss.
Diabetes Apr, 2012 | Pubmed ID: 22442297
Region-specific differences in brain melanocortin receptors in rats of the lean phenotype.
Neuroreport Jul, 2012 | Pubmed ID: 22643233
Enhanced sympathetic activity in mice with brown adipose tissue transplantation (transBATation).
Physiology & behavior Feb, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24291381
Leanness and heightened nonresting energy expenditure: role of skeletal muscle activity thermogenesis.
American journal of physiology. Endocrinology and metabolism Mar, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24398400
Physically active rats lose more weight during calorie restriction.
Physiology & behavior Feb, 2015 | Pubmed ID: 25449411
Interaction of metabolic stress with chronic mild stress in altering brain cytokines and sucrose preference.
Behavioral neuroscience Jun, 2015 | Pubmed ID: 25914924
Contribution of regional brain melanocortin receptor subtypes to elevated activity energy expenditure in lean, active rats.
Neuroscience Dec, 2015 | Pubmed ID: 26404873
Ventromedial hypothalamic melanocortin receptor activation: regulation of activity energy expenditure and skeletal muscle thermogenesis.
The Journal of physiology 09, 2016 | Pubmed ID: 27126579
Physical Activity, Energy Expenditure, and Defense of Body Weight in Melanocortin 4 Receptor-Deficient Male Rats.
Scientific reports 11, 2016 | Pubmed ID: 27886210
Homeostatic effects of exercise and sleep on metabolic processes in mice with an overexpressed skeletal muscle clock.
Biochimie Jan, 2017 | Pubmed ID: 27916643
Suppressed sympathetic outflow to skeletal muscle, muscle thermogenesis, and activity energy expenditure with calorie restriction.
Physiological reports Feb, 2017 | Pubmed ID: 28242830
Inherently Lean Rats Have Enhanced Activity and Skeletal Muscle Response to Central Melanocortin Receptors.
Obesity (Silver Spring, Md.) 05, 2018 | Pubmed ID: 29566460
Caffeine enhances activity thermogenesis and energy expenditure in rats.
Clinical and experimental pharmacology & physiology 05, 2019 | Pubmed ID: 30620415
Author Correction: Physical Activity, Energy Expenditure, and Defense of Body Weight in Melanocortin 4 Receptor-Deficient Male Rats.
Scientific reports Apr, 2019 | Pubmed ID: 31015504
Statin Drugs Plus Th1 Cytokines Potentiate Apoptosis and Ras Delocalization in Human Breast Cancer Lines and Combine with Dendritic Cell-Based Immunotherapy to Suppress Tumor Growth in a Mouse Model of HER-2 Disease.
Vaccines Feb, 2020 | Pubmed ID: 32041347
Skeletal muscle thermogenesis induction by exposure to predator odor.
The Journal of experimental biology 04, 2020 | Pubmed ID: 32165434
Aerobic capacity modulates adaptive thermogenesis: Contribution of non-resting energy expenditure.
Physiology & behavior 10, 2020 | Pubmed ID: 32628949
Enhanced weight and fat loss from long-term intermittent fasting in obesity-prone, low-fitness rats.
Physiology & behavior 03, 2021 | Pubmed ID: 33285179
Differential weight loss with intermittent fasting or daily calorie restriction in low- and high-fitness phenotypes.
Experimental physiology 08, 2021 | Pubmed ID: 34086376