Faculty

William E. Sonntag, PhD

405-271-1288

william-sonntag@ouhsc.edu

For over thirty years, Dr. Sonntag's research interest has been the neuroendocrine alterations that contribute to the degenerative conditions that accompany aging. Research from Dr. Sonntag's laboratory provided the first evidence that growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) secretion decreases with age.  He has done seminal studies related to the neuroendocrine mechanisms that contribute to the reduction in growth hormone and IGF-1 secretion, the effects of moderate caloric restriction on the regulation of growth hormone and IGF-1 axis, and the effects of growth hormone and/or IGF-1 replacement on the function of numerous tissues that decline with age. These studies have included, but are not limited to, effects of these hormones on cellular protein synthesis, metastatic disease, and cardiac and immune function.

His most recent studies have concentrated on the role of growth hormone and IGF-1 on brain aging. He was the first to present evidence that replacement of IGF-1reverses the cognitive decline that occurs with age and that administration of growth hormone or compounds that increase growth hormone and IGF-1 secretion ameliorate the cognitive deficits associated with age.  Dr. Sonntag and his research team have also undertaken studies to establish that growth hormone and IGF-1 increase neurogenesis, synaptic complexity, vascular density, glucose metabolism and blood flow and reverse age-related changes in specific NMDA receptor subtypes in brains of older animals. Most recently, Dr. Sonntag has established a unique model of adult-onset growth hormone and IGF-1 deficiency and determined that early deficiency in these hormones result in the accelerated development of the aging phenotype.

Dr. Sonntag has published more than 130 original manuscripts and reviews, served on the Biochemical Endocrinology Study Section and has been invited to present his research at national and international meetings.