CCRB 3-144, 2231 6th St SE Room 1-210, Minneapolis, MN 55455
Administrative Assistant:
Sarah Jutila Peterson
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 6126255902
Fax: 6123011543
Cathy Kotz is a professor in the Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology (IBP) at the University of Minnesota, and the associate director of research for the Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Care (GRECC) unit at the Minneapolis VA Health Care System. Cathy led an Obesity Prevention T32 for 16 years and has also held many leadership positions in professional academic societies, including as president of The Obesity Society in 2021.
Zink AN, Bunney PE, Holm AA, Billington CJ, Kotz CM. Neuromodulation of orexin neurons reduces diet-induced adiposity. Int J Obes (Lond). 2018 Apr;42(4):737-745. PubMed PMID: 29180723; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5962366.
Mavanji V, Butterick TA, Duffy CM, Nixon JP, Billington CJ, Kotz CM. Orexin/hypocretin treatment restores hippocampal-dependent memory in orexin-deficient mice. Neurobiol Learn Mem. 2017 Dec;146:21-30. PubMed PMID: 29107703; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5798856.
Stanojlovic M, Pallais Yllescas JP Jr, Mavanji V, Kotz C. Chemogenetic activation of orexin/hypocretin neurons ameliorates aging-induced changes in behavior and energy expenditure. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol. 2019 May 1;316(5):R571-R583. doi: 10.1152/ajpregu.00383.2018. Epub 2019 Feb 6. PMID: 30726119.
Mavanji V, Teske JA, Kotz CM, Pellizzer G. Changes in sensorimotor cortex oscillatory activity by orexin-A in the ventrolateral preoptic area of the hypothalamus reflect increased muscle tone. Journal of Neuroscience Research 2023; 101(8):1305-1323. doi: 10.1002/jnr.25195. PMID: 37012516.
Zhang D, Perrey DA, Decker AM, Langston TL, Mavanji V, Harris DL, Kotz CM, Zhang Y. Discovery of Arylsulfonamides as Dual Orexin Receptor Agonists. J Med Chem. 2021 Jun 24;64(12):8806-8825. doi: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.1c00841. Epub 2021 Jun 8. PMID: 34101446.
Cathy’s research centers on obesity and metabolic aspects of aging, focusing on the targeting of central nervous system pathways to promote healthy body weight throughout aging. This work is reflected in over 140 publications, including papers, reviews and book chapters.
Ahmed Basic Science Paper of the Year, Minneapolis VAHCS, 2024
Board Member, World Obesity Federation, 2021-2022
President, The Obesity Society, 2021
Inaugural Nutrition Leadership Institute attendee (The Dannon Institute), 1998
Fellowship, "Neurobiology of Aging" Training Grant
Ethan Sims Young Investigator Award (NAASO, The Obesity Society), 1992
Gamma Sigma Delta Honor Society, 1987-present
2025 The Swiss Winter Ingestion Conference: Reducing the Energy Gap with Small Molecular Weight Orexin Agonists. St. Moritz, Switzerland
2023 The Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior: A Small Molecule Orexin Agonist Enhances Energy Expenditure and Reduces Adiposity. Portland, Oregon.
2023 The Benjamin Franklin-Lafayette Symposium: Can the post-weight-loss energy expenditure gap be reduced to prevent weight regain? Frejus, France.
2021 The Obesity Society: Presidential Symposium: Getting up out of your chair to lose weight: what’s your brain got to do with it?
2019 University of Illinois Champagne-Urbana Neuroscience Program: Title: CNS Regulation of physical activity in obesity. University of Illinois Champagne-Urbana
1R01DK134468-01A1, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
Kotz, Catherine, PhD (PI)
07/01/2023-6/30/28
Reducing the post weight-loss energy expenditure gap with orexin agonists
1I01BX005815-01, Department of Veterans Affairs, ORD/BLRD
Kotz, Catherine, PhD (PI)
03/01/2022-7/1/26 (NCE)
Orexin agonists as novel obesity therapeutics
1I01RX003901-01A2, Department Veterans Affairs
Kotz, Catherine, PhD (PI)
4/15/2022-2/31/2026 (NCE)
Fisetin as a treatment for community-acquired pathogen susceptibility during aging, obesity, and neurodegenerative disease
American Physiological Society
The Obesity Society
The Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior
Cathy directs a course titled "Obesity physiology: from the molecule to the bedside," and co-teaches a Professional Skills Development course. Cathy has trained over 50 mentees, including PhD students, undergraduates and post-doctoral fellows.