About Claire
My research is centered on understanding how diet composition modulates behavior, in particular feeding behavior. The vagus nerve is a direct neural pathway that conveys post-ingestive feedback from the gastrointestinal (GI) tract to the brain and proper gut-brain communication is critical for regulation of feeding. Thus, my main interest has been to understand how post-ingestive cues from the GI tract are dysregulated to promote overeating. I have focused my efforts on identifying mechanisms by which diet affects vagal sensory neurons signaling, in particular diet-driven alterations in microbiota composition.