Brain-gut interactions: a functional and computational approach using the zebrafish larva – BrainGut

Emerging evidence underscores the intricate crosstalk between the brain and gut in preserving physiological harmony. Enteroendocrine cells are a specialized gut epithelial cell type that release hormones and neuropeptides upon sensing diverse stimuli within the intestinal lumen In addition, sensing of bacterial-derived metabolites by enteroendocrine cells in the gut activates the vagal lobe in zebrafish. However, how this information is processed by the gut’s neuronal circuit, and represented and decoded across the entire brain, is unknown. In this study, we will use cutting-edge techniques combining light-sheet microscopy, optogenetics and gut behavior in zebrafish larvae, to monitor whole-brain and whole-gut calcium dynamics in an intact behaving vertebrate. Using this approach, we will study how the brain encodes sensory information from the intestine, and how it controls or modulates the gut’s neuronal circuit and motility. This innovative interdisciplinary project will use a computational approach to shed light on the functional dialog between the brain and the gut.