The lab is interested in the cellular mechanisms underlying the central control of gastrointestinal functions.

We are using a combination of in vitro electrophysiological techniques (whole cell patch clamp in thin slices and in primary neuronal cultures of rat brainstem), in vivo techniques (microinjections and extracellular recordings), molecular (single cell RT-PCR) and immunocytochemical techniques to study the characteristics of neurones of the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus (DMV) and the nucleus of the tractus solitarius (NTS), i.e. the motor and sensory vagal nuclei, respectively. These studies aim to elucidate the cellular mechanisms underlying the control that the central nervous system exerts on the physiological functions of the upper gastrointestinal tract.

Our main hypotheses are: 1) the DMV and the NTS comprise neuronal subpopulations that are organized such that neurones subserving similar functions can be distinguished based on morphological, electrophysiological, biochemical and pharmacological properties; 2) the brainstem circuitry devoted to the control of vagal gastric functions is not static but rather undergoes plastic rearrangements determined by second messengers-mediated receptor trafficking.

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