The focus of our lab is to understand how signaling between the body and the brain controls the sum of biological processes that we refer to as “health”.

We have focused on how reciprocal signaling between the body and brain influences food intake. Our work has identified circuits and brain regions that regulate food intake – both in ensuring enough food is consumed to survive, but also preventing overconsumption.

More recently, we have also become interested in how exercise changes brain function and how exercise-induced changes in the brain lead to healthier metabolism and behavioral choices. In some of our emerging studies, we are extending this work to better understand how signals between the body and brain influence mental health, aging and wellness.