Dr. Öğr. Üyesi Muhammed İkbal ALP
Dr. Muhammed İkbal Alp is an Assistant Professor of Physiology at Istanbul Medipol University and serves as the Deputy Director of the SABITA Research Institute for Health Sciences and Technologies. He leads a multidisciplinary research program at Q-LAB, focusing on the neural regulation of metabolism, behavior, and internal bodily states.
Dr. Alp’s research centers on the concept of interoceptive memory, a theoretical and experimental framework proposing that the brain encodes a dynamic “health memory” through neural circuits, particularly within the hypothalamus and associated networks. His work explores how physiological states such as hunger, satiety, circadian rhythms, and energy balance are integrated, stored, and recalled by neural systems, and how disruptions in this encoding contribute to metabolic and neuropsychiatric disorders.
Using advanced techniques including in vivo and in vitro electrophysiology, fiber photometry, optogenetics, and chemogenetics, Dr. Alp investigates how neural circuit dynamics shape metabolic outcomes. His laboratory also develops human-relevant experimental platforms aimed at reducing animal use, including microelectrode array-based systems and in vitro screening models for metabolic and neurodegenerative conditions.
A significant component of his work lies at the interface of neuroscience and integrative medicine. Dr. Alp is particularly interested in how traditional and complementary approaches (GETAT), such as fasting, nutritional interventions, and natural therapies, modulate neural circuits governing metabolism and systemic homeostasis. He approaches these modalities through a mechanistic lens, aiming to translate empirical practices into evidence-based, neurobiologically grounded interventions.
His research on fasting and metabolic adaptation focuses on how intermittent and prolonged fasting paradigms reshape neural activity patterns, hormonal signaling, and cellular energy utilization. He investigates how these interventions may “reset” or recalibrate the brain’s health memory, potentially offering therapeutic strategies for obesity, metabolic syndrome, and related disorders.
In parallel with his academic work, Dr. Alp contributes to the development of integrative health programs that combine scientific insight with personalized lifestyle interventions. His translational perspective bridges laboratory findings with real-world applications in preventive medicine, longevity, and holistic wellbeing.
Dr. Alp has contributed to numerous national and international research collaborations and has received competitive research funding. His work continues to advance the understanding of how the brain encodes and regulates health, with the long-term goal of developing innovative, human-centered therapeutic strategies.