Servin-Vences Lab

How do we feel hunger? Why do we get butterflies in our belly? What makes our stomach growl? These everyday experiences can be explained by the way signals travel from the gut to the brain. At the same time, the brain sends powerful instructions back to the gut. How does the brain regulate digestion and metabolism? How does the brain adjust gut function during stress or danger? How does the brain modulate visceral pain and discomfort? How does the brain coordinate immune responses in the gut? In our lab, we study these two-way conversations between the gut and the brain. Our goal is to uncover how the sensory and enteric nervous systems work together to keep our bodies in balance—and what happens when this communication breaks down.