Ricardo H. da Costa e Sousa, DVM, MS, DSc

Assistant Professor, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine

Biography

Dr. Ricardo da Costa e Sousa has a broad background in Physiology and Basic Medical Research, with special expertise in Neuroendocrinology. During his Doctorate he has studied how the hypothalamus controls TSH secretion and thyroid activity, focusing on the role of NPY receptors. He further deepened his research on the hypothalamic-pituitary-axis during his postdoc, studying thyroid hormones action in the pituitary and the regulation of TRH neurons. His research has contributed to our current understanding of how the brain controls the thyroid as well as how thyroid hormones acts in different tissues.

In 2019, he joined the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism at Weill Cornell Medicine to study how specific subpopulations of hypothalamic neurons control the HPT axis, as well as how thyroid hormones act in the hypothalamus. Recent data his team generated is promising and has the potential to change paradigms in the field. He became an Assistant Professor at Boston University in 2022. Currently, his research interest is focused on the neuroendocrine control of thyroid hormones and metabolism.

Publications

  • Published 8/21/2024

    Costa-E-Sousa RH, Brooks VL. The growing complexity of the control of the hypothalamic pituitary thyroid axis and brown adipose tissue by leptin. Vitam Horm. 2025; 127:305-362. PMID: 39864945.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 6/6/2023

    Costa-E-Sousa RH, Rorato R, Hollenberg AN, Vella KR. Regulation of Thyroid Hormone Levels by Hypothalamic Thyrotropin-Releasing Hormone Neurons. Thyroid. 2023 Jul; 33(7):867-876. PMID: 37166378.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 12/1/2015

    Calvino C, Império GE, Wilieman M, Costa-E-Sousa RH, Souza LL, Trevenzoli IH, Pazos-Moura CC. Hypothyroidism Induces Hypophagia Associated with Alterations in Protein Expression of Neuropeptide Y and Proopiomelanocortin in the Arcuate Nucleus, Independently of Hypothalamic Nuclei-Specific Changes in Leptin Signaling. Thyroid. 2016 Jan; 26(1):134-43. PMID: 26538454.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 4/8/2014

    Astapova I, Ramadoss P, Costa-e-Sousa RH, Ye F, Holtz KA, Li Y, Niepel MW, Cohen DE, Hollenberg AN. Hepatic nuclear corepressor 1 regulates cholesterol absorption through a TRß1-governed pathway. J Clin Invest. 2014 May; 124(5):1976-86. PMID: 24713658.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 2/18/2014

    Vella KR, Ramadoss P, Costa-E-Sousa RH, Astapova I, Ye FD, Holtz KA, Harris JC, Hollenberg AN. Thyroid hormone signaling in vivo requires a balance between coactivators and corepressors. Mol Cell Biol. 2014 May; 34(9):1564-75. PMID: 24550004.

    Read at: PubMed

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