The vagus and spinal nerves form bi-directional connections (sensory and motor) between the the gut and the brain.

Our lab's primary research focus is the neurobiology of nausea and vomiting and, more generally, the role of gut-brain communication in homeostasis. Numerous medical treatments and diseases activate the gut-brain axis to elicit nausea and emesis, including cancer chemotherapy agents, AIDS treatment drugs, and analgesics in post-operative recovery. Despite the far-reaching presence of these aversive symptoms, the mechanisms and methods to control nausea and vomiting are not fully understood. This line of research has the long term goal of developing treatments to decrease symptom burden and improve quality of life for patients.