Job Description

Dr. Overton serves as the Interim Chairman in the Department of Biomedical Sciences and Course Director for Medical Physiology courses. In addition, he directs a research program that examines the regulation of energy homeostasis and cardiovascular function.

Biosketch

Dr. Overton recieved his BS degree in Biological Sciences from FSU and his PhD degree in Exercise Sciences from the University of Iowa. He obtained postdoctoral training in Pharmacology at the University of Arizona and came to FSU as an Assistant Profesor in 1992. He served as the Betty Watts Professor and as Chair of the Dept. of Nutrition, Food and Exercise Science before joining the College of Medicine in 2005. Dr. Overton holds additional appointments in the Program in Neuroscience and the Department of Psychology.

Education

B.S. in Biological Sciences (1980), Florida State University Ph.D. in Exercise Science (1987), University of Iowa Postdoctoral training in Pharmacology (1988-1990),University of Arizona

Service

University Service: Animal Care and Use Committee (93-98) President’s Commission on the Future of FSU (1997-98) Ad Hoc Graduate Program Review Committee for Biological Sciences (2000) Council on Research and Creativity (1997-2005) Biomedical Advisory Committee (BAC; 2001- ) BAC chair (2006- ) Research Strategic Planning Committee (2001-02) AAU membership Task Force (2005) Pathways of Excellence Executive Committee (2005-06) Search Committee for Director of LAR (2007-08) Professional Peer Review Committee, American Heart Assoc., Fl. Affiliate, 1993-97 (Vice-Chairman:1995-96; Chairman:1996-97) Peer Review, Southern Consortium, AHA 1997-98, 1999-02 Research Policy and Guidelines Review Task Force, American Heart Assoc. Fl. Affiliate, 1995-6 Research Committee, American Heart Assoc., Fl. Affiliate, 1995-02 (Vice-Chair, 1998-99; Chair, 2000-02) Public Advocacy Committee, Florida Affiliate of the Am. Heart Assoc, 1998-02 Science Integration Committee, Fl.-Puerto Rico AHA; Chair: 2001-03

Honors/Awards

Developing Scholar Award (1996), Florida State University Research Career Enhancement Award (1996), American Physiological Society American Heart Association (2001), Gold Affiliate Service Award Betty Watts Professorship (2004-05), Florida State University Fellow (2007), American Heart Association and Council for High Blood Pressure

Memberships

American Physiological Society Council for High Blood Pressure, American Heart Asociation Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior

Research Focus

The incidence of both obesity and hypertension continue to increase throughout many parts of the world. The primary focus of my research program is to discover and understand the neuroendocrine mechanisms by which energy homeostasis and cardiovascular function are regulated. We utilize chronically instrumented pre-clinical approaches (rodent models) to determine how metabolism, behavior and cardiovascular physiology respond to a number of nutrition and pharmacologic interventions. We are also able to advance our understanding of these problems via state of the art studies of mouse physiology. Since the discovery of leptin in 1994, there has been a remarkable advancement in our understanding of hypothalamic systems that regulate energy homeostasis. One of our main goals is to understand the biologic adaptations to weight loss to assist in developing more effective therapies for obesity.

Publications

Evans, S.A., M.M. Messina, W. D. Knight, A.D. Parsons and J.M. Overton. Long-Evans and Sprague-Dawley rats exhibit divergent responses to refeeding after caloric restriction. American Journal of Physiology: Regulatory, Comparative and Integrative Physiology: 288 (6): R1468-76, 2005. Evans, S.A., A.D. Parsons and J.M. Overton. Homeostatic responses to caloric restriction: Influence of background metabolic rate. Journal of Applied Physiology: 99:1336-42, 2005. Messina, M.M., S.A. Evans, S.J. Swoap, and J.M. Overton. Perinatal MSG treatment attenuates fasting-induced bradycardia and metabolic suppression. Physiology and Behavior: 86:324-330, 2005. Das, P., A.D. Parsons, J. Scarborough, J. Hoffman, J. Wilson, R.N. Thompson, J. M. Overton, D.A. Fadool. Electrophysiological and behavioral phenotype of insulin receptor defective mice. Physiology and Behavior: 86:287-296, 2005. Knight, W.D., S.J. Swoap, A.D. Parsons and J.M. Overton. Central thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) infusion opposes the bradycardia induced by caloric restriction. Neuroendocrinology 83:69-76, 2006. Messina, M.M., G. Boersma, J.M. Overton, and L.A. Eckel. Estradiol decreases the orexigenic effect of melanin-concentrating hormone in ovariectomized rats. Physiology and Behavior: 88: 523-528, 2006. Messina, M.M. and J.M. Overton. Cardiovascular and metabolic action of chronic infusion of melanin-concentrating hormone. Reg Peptides 139:23-30, 2007. S.J. Swoap, C. Li, J. Wess, A. D. Parsons, T. D. Williams, and J.M. Overton. Vagal tone dominates autonomic control of mouse heart rate at thermoneutrality. American Journal of Physiology: Heart and Circulatory Physiology 294: H1581-1588, 2008.