Staff profile

Dr Richard S Weisinger

Associate Professor

Faculty of Science, Technology and Engineering

School of Psychological Science
Department of Psychology

Biological Science Building 2, room 261, Melbourne (Bundoora)

 

Qualifications

PhD UW., Seattle, USA.

Area of study

Physiology
Psychology

Brief Profile

In 1971, Dr Weisinger obtained his PhD (University of Washington, Seattle, USA). He had two postdoctoral fellowships (NIMH, Univ. Pittsburgh, USA; NHMRC, Howard Florey Institute, University of Melbourne).

In 1980, he became a NHMRC Senior Research Fellow at the Howard Florey Institute (Ingestive Behaviour team). His research was aimed at investigating the mechanisms controlling sodium appetite and thirst, crucial behavioural components of body fluid homeostasis.

In 1999, Dr Weisinger's research emphasis shifted from body fluid homeostasis to the investigation of (a) the influence of early nutrition, primarily omega-3 fatty acids, on later physiological function and (b) mechanisms involved in the control of body weight.

In Feb 2005, he moved to School of Psychological Science, La Trobe University. He has honorary appointments at the Howard Florey Institute and the Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research, San Antonio, Texas.

Research interests

Animal nutrition

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Neuroscience and neuropsychology

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Obesity

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Recent Publications

Weisinger, RS and Chen, N and Mathai, ML. Chemical and biological basis of sodium appetite. Chemistry in Australia, 2005, 72, 18-21. 

Mathai, ML, Weisinger, RS and McKinley, MJ. Regulation of body temperature in response to heat. Chemistry in Australia, 2005, 72, 11-13.

Jayasooriya AP, Ackland ML, Mathai ML, Sinclair AJ, Weisinger HS, Weisinger RS, Halver JE, Kitajka K, Puskas LG. Perinatal {omega}-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid supply modifies brain zinc homeostasis during adulthood. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2005, 102(20):7133-8.

Li, D, Weisinger, H.S., Weisinger, R.S., Mathai, M.L., Armitage, J.A., Vingrys, A.J. and Sinclair, A.J. Omega 6 to omega 3 fatty acid imbalance early in life leads to persistent reductions in DHA levels in glycerophospholipids in rat hypothalamus even after long-term omega 3 fatty acid repletion. Prostaglandins, Leukotrienes and Essential Fatty Acids, 74 (6), 391-399, 2006.

 

Weisinger, R.S., Begg, D.P., Chen, N., Jois, M., Mathai, M.L., and Sinclair, A.J. The problem of obesity: Is there a role for antagonists of the renin-angiotensin system? Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 16 SUPPL 1, 359-367, 2007.

 

Attar-Bashi, N.M., Weisinger, R.S., Begg, D.P., Sinclair, A.J. Failure of Conjugated Linoleic Acid Supplementation to Enhance Biosynthesis of Docosahexaenoic Acid from α-Linolenic Acid in Healthy Human Volunteers. Prostaglandins, Leukotrienes and Essential Fatty Acids, 76 (3), 121-130, 2007.

 

Sinclair, A.J., Begg, D.P., Mathai, M.L., Weisinger, R.S. Omega 3 fatty acids and the brain. A REVIEW OF STUDIES IN DEPRESSION. Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 16 SUPPL 1, 391-397, 2007.

 

Weisinger, H.S., Salem, N., Makino, K.K., Hibbeln, J.R., Sinclair, A.J., Weisinger, R.S., & DePetrillo, P.B. EFFECT OF DIETARY OMEGA-3 FATTY ACID DEFICIENCY ON HEART RATE VARIABILITY IN HOODED RATS. Arch Med Sci, 3, 208-214, 2007.

 

Begg, D.P., & Weisinger, R.S. THE ROLE OF ADRENAL OR TESTICULAR HORMONES IN VOLUNTARY ETHANOL AND NACL INTAKE OF CROWDED AND INDIVIDUALLY HOUSED RATS. Physiology and Behaviour 2008, 93(1-2):408-413, 2008.

 

Weisinger HS Begg DP Egan GF Jayasooriya AP Lie F Mathai ML Sinclair AJ Wark JD Weisinger RS. ANGIOTENSIN CONVERTING ENZYME INHIBITION FROM BIRTH REDUCES BODY WEIGHT AND BODY FAT IN SPRAGUE-DAWLEY RATS. Physiol Behaviour 2008, 93(4-5), 820-825.

 

Jayasooriya AP Begg DP Chen N Mathai ML Sinclair AJ Wilkinson-Berka J Wark JD Weisinger HS Weisinger RS. OMEGA-3 POLYUNSATURATED FATTY ACID SUPPLEMENTATION REDUCES HYPERTENSION IN TGR(MREN-2)27 RATS. Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids 2008, 78: 67-72.

 

Stahl, L.A., Begg, D.P., Weisinger, R.S., & Sinclair, A.J. THE ROLE OF OMEGA-3 FATTY ACIDS IN MOOD DISORDERS. Current Opinion in Investigational Drugs, 9: 57-64, 2008.

 

Tassoni, D., Kaur, G., Weisinger, R.S., & Sinclair, A.J. THE ROLE OF EICOSANOIDS IN THE BRAIN. Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2008, 17 Suppl 1, 220-228.

 

Jayasooriya AP Mathai ML Walker LL Begg DP Denton DA Cameron-Smith D Egan GF Jois M McKinley MJ Rodger PD Sinclair AJ Wark JD Weisinger HS Weisinger RS. MICE LACKING ANGIOTENSIN CONVERTING ENZYME HAVE INCREASED ENERGY EXPENDITURE , WITH REDUCED FAT MASS AND IMPROVED GLUCOSE CLEARANCE. P Natl Acad Sci USA 2008, 105, 6531-6536.

 

Mathai ML Naik S Sinclair AJ  Weisinger HS Weisinger RS. SELECTIVE REDUCTION IN BODY FAT MASS AND PLASMA LEPTIN INDUCED BY ANGIOTENSIN-CONVERTING ENZYME INHIBITION IN RATS. Int J Obesity 2008, 32, 1576-1584.

 

 

Weisinger RS Begg DP Denton DA Findlay ALR Kennedy GA Purcell B Walker LL Blair-West JR. ENDOCRINE AND INGESTIVE BEHAVIORAL RESPONSES TO FLUID DEPRIVATION IN SHEEP CHRONICALLY EXPOSED TO ETHANOL. Physiol Behav 2009, 96, 637-645.

 

Weisinger, R.S., Stanley TK, Begg, D.P., Weisinger HS, Spark KJ, Jois, M. ANGIOTENSIN CONVERTING ENZYME INHIBITION LOWERS BODY WEIGHT AND IMPROVES GLUCOSE TOLERANCE IN C57BL/6J MICE MAINTAINED ON A HIGH FAT DIET. Physiol Behav 2009, 98, 192-197.

 

 

Weisinger RS, Begg DP and Jois, M. ANTAGONISTS OF THE RENIN-ANGIOTENSIN SYSTEM AND THE PREVENTION OF OBESITY. Current Opinion in Investigational Drugs 2009, 10, 1069-1077.

 

Chen N, Bezzina R, Hinch E,  Lewandowski PA, Cameron-Smith D, Mathai ML, Sinclair AJ, Begg DP, Wark JD, Weisinger HS, Weisinger RS. GREEN TEA, BLACK TEA AND EPIGALLOCATECHIN MODIFY BODY COMPOSITION, IMPROVE GLUCOSE TOLERANCE, AND DIFFERENTIALLY ALTER METABOLIC GENE EXPRESSION IN RATS FED A HIGH FAT DIET. Nutrition Research 2009, 29, 784-793.

 

Mathai ML Weisinger RS. RESPONSE TO ‘HYDRATION INCREASES CELL METABOLISM’.   Int J Obesity 2009, 33, 386.

 

Begg DP, Sinclair AJ, Stahl L, Garg ML, Jois M and Weisinger RS. DIETARY PROTEIN LEVEL INTERACTS WITH -3 POLYUNSATURATED FATTY ACID DEFICIENCY TO INDUCE HYPERTENSION.  American Journal of Hypertension 2010, 23, 125-128.

 

Begg DP, Sinclair AJ, Stahl L, Premaratna, SD, Hafandi A, Jois M and Weisinger RS. HYPERTENSION INDUCED BY -3 POLYUNSATURATED FATTY ACID DEFICIENCY IS ALLEVIATED BY α-LINOLENIC ACID REGARDLESS OF SOURCE.  Hypertension Research 2010, 33, 808-813.

 

Weisinger RS, Armitage JA, Chen N, Begg DP, Mathai ML,  Jayasooriya AP, Sinclair AJ and Weisinger HS. SODIUM APPETITE IN ADULT RATS FOLLOWING w-3 POLYUNSATURATED FATTY ACID DEFICIENCY IN EARLY DEVELOPMENT. Appetite 2010, 55, 393-397.

 

Chapters

Weisinger, R.S. and Chen, N.  SALT APPETITE.  In: Encyclopedia of Stress, 2007. Ed. by G. Fink, Academic Press, ISBN:978-0-12-088503-9.

Weisinger, R.S., Begg, D.P., Stahl, L., Weisinger, H.S., Sinclair, A.J., and Jois, M. THE ROLE OF OMEGA-3 POLYUNSATURATED FATTY ACIDS IN FOOD INTAKE  AND ENERGY HOMEOSTASIS. Chapter 35 In: Fatty Acids in foods and their health implications, pp 829-846, 2007. Ed. By C.K. Chow, Taylor and Francis.

Blair-West, J.R., Denton, D.A., Shade, R.E. and Weisinger, R.S. BABOON MODEL FOR INGESTIVE BEHAVIORS. In: The Baboon in Biomedical Research. Ed. By J.L. VandenBerg,S.Williams-Blangero,S.D. Tardif, Springer, 2009.ISBN:978-0-387-75990-6.

Weisinger, R.S., Begg, D.P., Mathai, M.L. and Weisinger, H.S. SALT APPETITE. In New Encyclopedia of Neuroscience. Ed by L.R. Squire, Academic Press, Elsevier, pp 445-452, 2009. ISBN 978-0-08-044617-2.

 

Conference papers or abstracts

 

Weisinger RS, Sinclair AJ, Weisinger HS, Jayasooriya AP, Mathai ML and Wilkinson-Berka J. Dietary omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids reduce blood pressure of hypertensive TGR (mRen2)27 transgenic rats. Invited presentation at International Congress of Physiological Sciences, San Diego, USA. Feb, 2005.

Weisinger, R.S., Begg, D.B., Chen, N., Jois, M., Kwong, M., Mathai, M., and Sinclair, A.J. THE PROBLEM OF OBESITY: IS THERE A ROLE FOR ANTAGONISTS OF THE RENIN-ANGIOTENSIN SYSTEM? Invited presentation at the Eighth IUNS International Symposium on Clinical Nutrition and Fifth Asia- Pacific Clinical Nutrition Society Conference. Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China. Oct, 2006.

Weisinger, R.S. OMEGA-3 FATTY ACID PREVENTS DEVELOPMENT OF AGE RELATED DISEASES: HYPERTENSION, OBESITY AND DIABETES. Invited presentation at the first Asian Conference on the Science of Aging and Regenerative Medicine, Singapore, July, 2008.