Research Overview

We are interested in the interplay between sensory systems and internal physiology. For example, taste is largely impacted by our internal state (e.g. food tastes better when we are hungry); conversely, taste stimulation triggers downstream signaling responses, and long-term taste experience shapes physiology and behavior. We are currently using the mammalian taste pathway as an entry point, to understand how the nervous system integrates external and internal information to drive behavior and maintain homeostasis.