Orefice Lab

Development, function and dysfunction of the somatosensory system.

Our lab studies the somatosensory circuits that mediate the sense of touch and the viscerosensory circuits of the gastrointestinal tract. We are interested in how sensory experience, beginning with peripheral sensory neurons, influences the development of circuits in the spinal cord and brain. We also study how somatosensation and viscerosensation are affected in diseases and disorders, such as autism spectrum disorders.