Zhang Li-Na MSc: Sep, 2004－Jan, 2007 Supervisors: Prof. Wang De-Hua PhD student: University of Aberdeen, UK, Jan 2007 to present E-mail: zhangln@ioz.ac.cn; lina.zhang@abdn.ac.uk

Thesis
　　Effects of fasting, food restriction and refeeding on body mass, energy metabolism and thermogenic capacity in Mongolian Gerbils

　　Having got my Bsc in Biology from Shanxi Normal University, I was given an opportunity to study as a master candidate exempt from examination and I became a member of animal physiological ecology group headed by Prof Dehua Wang in the Institute of Zoology, CAS. From there I moved my first step into scientific research. My Msc was looking at the effects of fasting, food restriction and refeeding on body mass regulation and thermogenic capacity in Mongolian gerblis, aiming to explore their physiological responses and the underlying mechanisms to food scarcity and succeeding food abundance and to further understand their adaptational significance. It is exciting to find that gerbils exhibited a rebound in body mass and body fat mass during refeeding following food restriction, which is another story in fasted and refed gerbils.
　　Right after I finished my Msc, I started my PhD under the supervision of Prof John Speakman in energetics group, the University of Aberdeen. My present project is to look at the mechanisms underpinning food intake and body weight regulation. I am mainly focusing on two different systems, endocannabinoid system and melanin-concentrating hormone nervous system. What happens to central nervous system and peripheral tissues by specifically blocking the receptors CB1 or MCHR1 will provide insights into how feeding behavior and energy homeostasis are regulated, thus shed lights on the treatment of obesity and metabolic disorders.
　　Being involved in science is rewarding. It enables us chances to meet our curiosity about the unknown. On the way from the unknown to the truth, abstract science becomes concrete, tangible and enjoyable. Of course setbacks accompany us as well. Sometimes we run, sometimes we walk, sometimes we crawl. The important thing is to keep moving forward.