New Paper on Nutrient Sensing in the Enteric Nervous System

The ability to detect and respond to ingested nutrients is vital for survival, yet the precise neuronal sensory pathways within the enteric nervous system (ENS) remain incompletely understood. In a recent collaborative study published in Nature, researchers used calcium imaging in mouse jejunum to reveal that different nutrients activate distinct neurochemically defined ensembles of myenteric and submucosal neurons. These nutrient signals are detected indirectly—through the intestinal epithelium—primarily via serotonin signalling, and show a spatial transmission pattern along the radial axis of the intestine.

Ceyhun Alar from our lab contributed single-cell data analysis, decoding complex neuronal activation patterns within these datasets and strengthening the connection between biological signal and scientific insight.