Affiliations
Postdoctoral Fellow, Monell Chemical Senses Center
Education
Ph.D., Neuroscience, University of Pennsylvania
Laboratory Of
Dr. Guillaume de Lartigue
Research Summary
My research explores how the brain senses and responds to nutrients such as sugar, fat, and protein, and how this process influences food choices and consumption. I focus on the gut–brain axis, a communication pathway where signals from the digestive system are transmitted to the brain. y studying these systems together, I aim to understand how specific populations of neurons detect nutrients, how they shape motivation and memory, and how disruptions in these pathways contribute to overeating and metabolic disease.
Keywords
nutrient sensing, behavioral analysis, neurobiology, feeding, obesity
Representative Publications
Yang M, Singh A, de Araujo A, McDougle M, Ellis H, Décarie-Spain L, Kanoski S, de Lartigue G. Separate orexigenic hippocampal ensembles shape dietary choice by enhancing contextual memory and motivation. Nature Metab. 2025 Jan 15;7(2):276-296. doi: 10.1038/s42255-024-01194-6. Epub 2025 Jan 15. PMID: 39815079.
McDougle M, de Araujo A, Singh A, Yang M, Braga I, Paille V, Mendez-Hernandez R, Vergara M, Woodie LN, Gour A, Sharma A, Urs N, Warren B, de Lartigue G. Separate gut-brain circuits for fat and sugar reinforcement combine to promote overeating. Cell Metab. 2024 Feb 6;36(2):393-407.e7. doi: 10.1016/j.cmet.2023.12.014. Epub 2024 Jan 18. PMID: 38242133.
Mendez R, Bali A, Yang M, Braga I, de Lartigue G. Vagal sensory gut-brain pathways that control eating – satiety and beyond. Compr Physiol. 2025 Apr 10;15(2):e70010. doi: 10.1002/cphy.cph470010. PMID: 40229922.
