research

A caress from a loved one can trigger reward and promote a warm embrace. Conversely, noxious stimuli can trigger pain and unpleasantness. How does the brain encode these distinct states to allow organisms to mount appropriate behavioral responses? How does signaling and physiology in the somatosensory system drive social behaviors? How are these pathways altered during disease states? To tackle these and related questions, we are integrating the peripheral and central nervous systems, seeking to uncover genes and neural circuits from the skin and other organs to interconnected networks across the brain. Our laboratory uses both mice and naked-mole rats to elucidate the body-brain axis – taking an integrative approach that combines high-resolution behavioral mapping, brain and periphery imaging, and neural and genetic manipulations. People come to the lab from diverse backgrounds including molecular biology, systems neuroscience, computational biology, immunology, evolutionary biology, and other fields. We believe that tackling hard problems requires diverse and creative thinking.

We acknowledge support from the following programs: