Researching Food-Brain Connections at a cellular level
What should I eat? When should I eat? How much should I eat? All animals must regularly make these important feeding decisions. These food choices then impact the overall health and fitness of the animal.
The nervous systemplays a critical role in each step of this process: detecting a variety of chemicals found in food & drink, sensing internal levels of energy & nutrients, forming associations and memories with specific foods, and ultimately integrating all of this information to coordinate appropriate food intake.
In the Biology Department at the University of Vermont, our lab will use the fruit fly as a model organism to study the molecules, genes, cells, and neural circuits that impact feeding behavior and health.
