Maintaining physiological homeostasis is fundamental to life. This dynamic equilibrium relies on precise and continuous bidirectional communication between the nervous system (the brain) and the peripheral systems (the body), a process broadly defined as brain-body interactions. A key functional manifestation of this interaction is interoception, the nervous system's capacity to sense, interpret, integrate, and regulate the internal signals of the body through multi-level feedback loops between the central and peripheral systems. Disruption of these brain-body pathways can impair basic physiological control networks and contribute to the onset and progression of a wide spectrum of disorders, including psychiatric and neurological diseases, cardiovascular and respiratory conditions, metabolic syndromes, and immune-related disorders.

Our laboratory aims to fill critical gaps in the fundamental mechanisms of brain-body interactions, particularly the yet-to-be-identified molecular sensors, circuits, and signaling principles that underlie this bidirectional communication. By elucidating how the brain senses and controls internal organ states, we seek to establish new conceptual and therapeutic frameworks for understanding and treating diseases from the perspective of brain-body communications.

Recent discoveries from our group have been published, as corresponding or co-corresponding author, in Neuron, Advanced Science, and Cell Reports. Our research has been supported by multiple national and international programs, including the National Natural Science Foundation of China (General Program and Innovative Research Group Program), the National Key R&D Program of China, the Science and Technology Innovation 2030 Major Project, and the Novo Nordisk ValidatioNN Award.