Brooks P. Leitner, PhD

MD/PhD Program

Yale University

New Haven, CT

Originally inspired by the fact that ultramarathon runners used cheeseburgers and M&Ms for fuel as I volunteered for their 100 mile races, I’ve come to appreciate the metabolic flexibility of both the body and the mind. I mean, is running for 20 hours straight more of a physical or mental feat?

Now that you’re thinking about it, is that same fuel going to both the muscles and the brain?

news

May 26, 2023	My first in-person Hackathon! I pitched with team Monarch Mile at the Yale Center for Biomedical Innovation and Technology Hackathon about a platform to connect breast cancer survivors with evidence-based resources for integrative health products.
Jan 15, 2016	A simple inline announcement with Markdown emoji!
Nov 7, 2015	A long announcement with details

latest posts

Apr 12, 2023	From Apathy to Enthusiasm: Four Lessons for Becoming an Engaging Leader
Apr 9, 2023	The 1977 Exercise Protocol that Increased Fitness More than Any Other
Dec 10, 2022	a post with giscus comments

selected publications

PNAS

Mapping of Human Brown Adipose Tissue in Lean and Obese Young Men

PNAS, Jul 2017

Abs HTML PDF

Brown adipose tissue (BAT) is currently being explored as a target for the treatment of obesity and diabetes after repeated demonstrations on positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET/CT) imaging of its ability to metabolize glucose following acute cold exposure. Measurement of whole-body BAT volume, activity, and distribution is difficult because brown adipocytes are structurally commingled among white adipose tissue, muscle, and blood vessels. Thus, BATs potential contribution to metabolism remains unclear. To address this, we have identified several refinements to improve current PET/CT analyses and demonstrated their impact in healthy lean vs. obese individuals. Using the refined technique, we defined whole-body BAT distribution and estimated its metabolic capacity and found that it is substantially higher than usually reported.