Abraham Lincoln statue on Carthage College?s campus.
Sarah Terrill

Sarah Terrill

  • Assistant Professor of Neuroscience
    Email Address:
    sterrill@carthage.edu
    Office location:
    CC 115
    Phone
    262-551-6042

    Professor Sarah Terrill received her B.S. degree (neuroscience and psychology) from Baldwin Wallace University (Berea, Ohio). Continuing with graduate training at Florida State University, Prof. Terrill received her M.S. in psychology and her Ph.D. in neuroscience. Prof. Terrill went on to complete her initial postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Southern California and continued her postdoctoral training at Northeast Ohio Medical University. Prof. Terrill’s research focuses on the neural and hormonal control of food intake and body weight and uses a variety of modern neuroscience tools and surgical approaches.

    Prof. Terrill is particularly proud of the undergraduate researchers she has mentored throughout her career, many of whom have gone on to M.D., Ph.D., and other professional programs. She enjoys working with her students in the lab and providing opportunities for student researchers to present their work at both national and international conferences.

    Outside of academia, Prof. Terrill enjoys cooking, biking by the lake, traveling with her family, and playing with her pups Lillian and Thor.

    • B.S. — Neuroscience and Psychology, Baldwin Wallace University (Berea, Ohio)
    • M.S. — Psychology, Florida State University
    • Ph.D. — Neuroscience, Florida State University
    • Postdoctoral Fellowship — Neuroscience, University of Southern California
    • Postdoctoral Fellowship — Neuroscience, Northeast Ohio Medical University
    • NEU 2100 Introduction to Behavioral Neuroscience
    • NEU 4000 Senior Thesis in Neuroscience
    • NEU 400E Advanced Research Methods in Neuroscience
    • NEU 4900 Research in Neuroscience

    Obesity and its numerous comorbidities, including Type 2 diabetes and hypertension, are now among the leading causes of preventable death in the United States. Understanding the underlying brain circuitry that drives overconsumption of palatable foods is critical to the development of effective strategies to both prevent and reverse obesity. The overall goal of Dr. Terrill’s research program is to identify neural pathways involved in the control of food intake under both healthy and pathological conditions. Using rodent models, Dr. Terrill’s research employs a variety of modern neuroscience techniques and surgical approaches, such as detailed behavioral analyses, pharmacology, gastrointestinal manipulations, neuroanatomy, immunohistochemistry, and chemogenetics.

    National Research Service Awards (NRSA), Individual Predoctoral Fellowship (NIH F31) – Funded by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)

    Philanthropic Educational Organization (P.E.O.) Scholar Award

     https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=XQFGKhIAAAAJ&hl=en

    Terrill SJ, Subramanian KS, Lan R, Liu CM, Cortella AM, Noble EE, Kanoski SE. Nucleus accumbens melanin-concentrating hormone signaling promotes feeding in a sex-specific manner. Neuropharmacology 178, 2020.

    Terrill SJ, Holt MK, Maske CB, Abrams N, Reimann F, Trapp S, Williams DL. Endogenous GLP-1 in lateral septum promotes satiety and suppresses motivation for food in mice. Physiol Behav, Physiol Behav 206, 2019.

    Terrill SJ, Maske CB, Williams DL. Endogenous GLP-1 in lateral septum contributes to stress-induced hypophagia. Physiol Behav 192, 2018.

    Terrill SJ, Wall KD, Medina ND, Maske CB, Williams DL. Lateral septum growth hormone secretagogue receptor affects food intake and motivation for sucrose reinforcement. Am J Physiol Integr Comp Physiol 315: R76–R83, 2018.

    Terrill SJ, Hyde KM, Kay KE, Greene HE, Maske CB, Knierim AE, Davis JF, Williams DL. Ventral tegmental area orexin 1 receptors promote palatable food intake and oppose postingestive negative feedback. Am J Physiol - Regul Integr Comp Physiol 311, 2016.

    Terrill SJ, Jackson CM, Greene HE, Lilly N, Maske CB, Vallejo S, Williams DL. Role of lateral septum glucagon-like peptide 1 receptors in food intake. Am J Physiol - Regul Integr Comp Physiol 311, 2016.

    Maske CB, Coiduras II, Ondriezek ZE, Terrill SJ, Williams DL. Intermittent High‐Fat Diet Intake Reduces Sensitivity to Intragastric Nutrient Infusion and Exogenous Amylin in Female Rats. Obesity 28:5, 2020.

    Noble EE, Wang Z, Liu CL, Davis EA, Suarez AN, Stein LM, Tsan L, Terrill SJ, Hsu TM, Jung A, Raycraft LM, Hahn JD, Darvas M, Cortella AM, Schier LA, Johnson AW, Hayes MR, Holschneider DP, Kanoski SE. Hypothalamus-hippocampus circuitry regulates impulsivity via melanin-concentrating hormone. Nature Communications 1-16, 2019.

    Maske CB, Loney GC, Lilly N, Terrill SJ, Williams DL. Intragastric nutrient infusion reduces motivation for food in male and female rats. Am J Physiol - Endocrinol Metab 315, 2018.

    Maske CB, Jackson CM, Terrill SJ, Eckel LA, Williams DL. Estradiol modulates the anorexic response to central glucagon-like peptide 1. Horm Behav 93, 2017.