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Erin Hanlon

Research Associate Professor
ehanlon@uchicago.edu
Research Summary
As a behavioral neuroscientist, Dr. Hanlon's primary research interests have included the detrimental effects of sleep loss and how sleep benefits health, with particular focus on the links between sleep deficiency, obesity, and diabetes. Specifically, she has focused on the effect of sleep restriction on brain reward and feeding systems as well as peripheral metabolic systems in both rodent and human models. Her most recent studies have identified a 24hr rhythm in circulating endocannabinoid (eCB) levels, a system that has garnered much attention in recent years for its involvement in the regulation of hedonic food intake. Dr. Hanlon has shown that this rhythm is altered by sleep loss suggesting the involvement of the eCB system and hedonic eating in the excess food intake observed following sleep restriction. Further, she demonstrated that obese individuals have a misaligned endocannabinoid rhythm, suggesting that circadian disruption in the eCB system may constitute a circadian-mediated mechanism contributing to the underlying pathophysiology of obesity.
Education
  • Duke University, BS Psychology 1999
  • University of Wisconsin-Madison, PhD Neuroscience 2006
Biosciences Graduate Program Association
Publications

  1. Dumitrescu AM, Hanlon EC, Arosemena M, Duchon O, Ettleson M, Giurcanu M, Bianco AC. Extended Absorption of Liothyronine from Poly-Zinc-Liothyronine: Results from a Phase 1, Double-Blind, Randomized, and Controlled Study in Humans. Thyroid. 2022 02; 32(2):196-205. View in: PubMed

  2. Cable J, Schernhammer E, Hanlon EC, Vetter C, Cedernaes J, Makarem N, Dashti HS, Shechter A, Depner C, Ingiosi A, Blume C, Tan X, Gottlieb E, Benedict C, Van Cauter E, St-Onge MP. Sleep and circadian rhythms: pillars of health-a Keystone Symposia report. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2021 12; 1506(1):18-34. View in: PubMed

  3. Amato KR, Arrieta MC, Azad MB, Bailey MT, Broussard JL, Bruggeling CE, Claud EC, Costello EK, Davenport ER, Dutilh BE, Swain Ewald HA, Ewald P, Hanlon EC, Julion W, Keshavarzian A, Maurice CF, Miller GE, Preidis GA, Segurel L, Singer B, Subramanian S, Zhao L, Kuzawa CW. The human gut microbiome and health inequities. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2021 06 22; 118(25). View in: PubMed

  4. Okoli A, Hanlon EC, Brady MJ. The Relationship between Sleep, Obesity, and Metabolic Health in Adolescents - a Review. Curr Opin Endocr Metab Res. 2021 Apr; 17:15-19. View in: PubMed

  5. Casimiro I, Hanlon EC, White J, De Leon A, Ross R, Moise K, Piron M, Brady MJ. Reduction of IL-6 gene expression in human adipose tissue after sleeve gastrectomy surgery. Obes Sci Pract. 2020 Apr; 6(2):215-224. View in: PubMed

  6. Reutrakul S, Crowley SJ, Park JC, Chau FY, Priyadarshini M, Hanlon EC, Danielson KK, Gerber BS, Baynard T, Yeh JJ, McAnany JJ. Relationship between Intrinsically Photosensitive Ganglion Cell Function and Circadian Regulation in Diabetic Retinopathy. Sci Rep. 2020 01 31; 10(1):1560. View in: PubMed

  7. Hanlon EC, Leproult R, Stuhr KL, Doncheck EM, Hillard CJ, Van Cauter E. Circadian Misalignment of the 24-hour Profile of Endocannabinoid 2-Arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) in Obese Adults. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2020 03 01; 105(3). View in: PubMed

  8. White JM, Piron MJ, Rangaraj VR, Hanlon EC, Cohen RN, Brady MJ. Reference Gene Optimization for Circadian Gene Expression Analysis in Human Adipose Tissue. J Biol Rhythms. 2020 02; 35(1):84-97. View in: PubMed

  9. Hanlon EC. Impact of circadian rhythmicity and sleep restriction on circulating endocannabinoid (eCB) N-arachidonoylethanolamine (anandamide). Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2020 01; 111:104471. View in: PubMed

  10. Kunze KN, Hanlon EC, Prachand VN, Brady MJ. Peripheral circadian misalignment: contributor to systemic insulin resistance and potential intervention to improve bariatric surgical outcomes. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol. 2016 09 01; 311(3):R558-63. View in: PubMed

  11. Hanlon EC, Tasali E, Leproult R, Stuhr KL, Doncheck E, de Wit H, Hillard CJ, Van Cauter E. Sleep Restriction Enhances the Daily Rhythm of Circulating Levels of Endocannabinoid 2-Arachidonoylglycerol. Sleep. 2016 Mar 01; 39(3):653-64. View in: PubMed

  12. Arble DM, Bass J, Behn CD, Butler MP, Challet E, Czeisler C, Depner CM, Elmquist J, Franken P, Grandner MA, Hanlon EC, Keene AC, Joyner MJ, Karatsoreos I, Kern PA, Klein S, Morris CJ, Pack AI, Panda S, Ptacek LJ, Punjabi NM, Sassone-Corsi P, Scheer FA, Saxena R, Seaquest ER, Thimgan MS, Van Cauter E, Wright KP. Impact of Sleep and Circadian Disruption on Energy Balance and Diabetes: A Summary of Workshop Discussions. Sleep. 2015 Dec 01; 38(12):1849-60. View in: PubMed

  13. Hanlon EC, Tasali E, Leproult R, Stuhr KL, Doncheck E, de Wit H, Hillard CJ, Van Cauter E. Circadian rhythm of circulating levels of the endocannabinoid 2-arachidonoylglycerol. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2015 Jan; 100(1):220-6. View in: PubMed

  14. Baldo BA, Hanlon EC, Obermeyer W, Bremer Q, Paletz E, Benca RM. Upregulation of gene expression in reward-modulatory striatal opioid systems by sleep loss. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2013 Dec; 38(13):2578-87. View in: PubMed

  15. Baldo BA, Pratt WE, Will MJ, Hanlon EC, Bakshi VP, Cador M. Principles of motivation revealed by the diverse functions of neuropharmacological and neuroanatomical substrates underlying feeding behavior. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2013 Nov; 37(9 Pt A):1985-98. View in: PubMed

  16. Pamidi S, Wroblewski K, Broussard J, Day A, Hanlon EC, Abraham V, Tasali E. Obstructive sleep apnea in young lean men: impact on insulin sensitivity and secretion. Diabetes Care. 2012 Nov; 35(11):2384-9. View in: PubMed

  17. Hanlon EC, Vyazovskiy VV, Faraguna U, Tononi G, Cirelli C. Synaptic potentiation and sleep need: clues from molecular and electrophysiological studies. Curr Top Med Chem. 2011; 11(19):2472-82. View in: PubMed

  18. Hanlon EC, Van Cauter E. Quantification of sleep behavior and of its impact on the cross-talk between the brain and peripheral metabolism. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2011 Sep 13; 108 Suppl 3:15609-16. View in: PubMed

  19. Vyazovskiy VV, Olcese U, Hanlon EC, Nir Y, Cirelli C, Tononi G. Local sleep in awake rats. Nature. 2011 Apr 28; 472(7344):443-7. View in: PubMed

  20. Hanlon EC, Benca RM, Baldo BA, Kelley AE. REM sleep deprivation produces a motivational deficit for food reward that is reversed by intra-accumbens amphetamine in rats. Brain Res Bull. 2010 Oct 30; 83(5):245-54. View in: PubMed

  21. McAllister EJ, Dhurandhar NV, Keith SW, Aronne LJ, Barger J, Baskin M, Benca RM, Biggio J, Boggiano MM, Eisenmann JC, Elobeid M, Fontaine KR, Gluckman P, Hanlon EC, Katzmarzyk P, Pietrobelli A, Redden DT, Ruden DM, Wang C, Waterland RA, Wright SM, Allison DB. Ten putative contributors to the obesity epidemic. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2009 Nov; 49(10):868-913. View in: PubMed

  22. Hanlon EC, Faraguna U, Vyazovskiy VV, Tononi G, Cirelli C. Effects of skilled training on sleep slow wave activity and cortical gene expression in the rat. Sleep. 2009 Jun; 32(6):719-29. View in: PubMed

  23. Keith SW, Redden DT, Katzmarzyk PT, Boggiano MM, Hanlon EC, Benca RM, Ruden D, Pietrobelli A, Barger JL, Fontaine KR, Wang C, Aronne LJ, Wright SM, Baskin M, Dhurandhar NV, Lijoi MC, Grilo CM, DeLuca M, Westfall AO, Allison DB. Putative contributors to the secular increase in obesity: exploring the roads less traveled. Int J Obes (Lond). 2006 Nov; 30(11):1585-94. View in: PubMed

  24. Hanlon EC, Andrzejewski ME, Harder BK, Kelley AE, Benca RM. The effect of REM sleep deprivation on motivation for food reward. Behav Brain Res. 2005 Aug 30; 163(1):58-69. View in: PubMed

  25. Hanlon EC, Baldo BA, Sadeghian K, Kelley AE. Increases in food intake or food-seeking behavior induced by GABAergic, opioid, or dopaminergic stimulation of the nucleus accumbens: is it hunger? Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2004 Mar; 172(3):241-7. View in: PubMed
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