Our behaviors are elicited by external stimuli as well as our internal state. Latter allows us to synchronize our actions with our needs, and we will forage more vigorously, and respond to food stimuli more vigorously when we’re hungry. Despite their importance, we still don’t fully understand how internal states arise and the signaling pathways regulating them. Historically, neuroscientists have focused on the brain when trying to understand internal states, but peripheral organs produce a repertoire of signals that influence behavioral decisions. We found signaling pathways through which the gut communicates nutritional status to the brain, changing the internal state of the animal and influencing sleep and drug preference. Our laboratory aims to uncover peripheral signals that regulate internal state and behavior and investigate how those signals change neuronal properties giving rise to different internal states.

We thank the following organizations for funding our research!