Allen Distinguished Microscopy Seminar

Illuminating the neural circuitry of gut feelings

Diego V. Bohorquez, Postdoctoral Fellow
Duke Medicine Center
Duke University, NC

Sponsored By:

ORIED, CALS, COS, CVM & COE

Abstract: Our brain is fed with sensory information from food in our gut through specialized biosensors called enteroendocrine cells. For long these cells have been assumed to communicate with nerves indirectly through hormones. This is mainly because enteroendocrine cells are scattered throughout the intestinal epithelium and difficult to identify. Therefore, a complete description of their anatomy is lacking. Using several microscopy techniques, including correlative confocal microscopy with 3D electron microscopy, we have unveil a physical connection between enteroendocrine cells and sensory nerves innervating the small intestine and colon. This is a novel neurocircuit and constitutes a potential first point of sensory integration between food in our intestines and satiety in our brains.