My research is centered on understanding the changes in innervation of the gastrointestinal tract that accompany intestinal inflammation. During states of inflammation, such as those occurring in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), various features of gut function, including motility, secretion and sensitivity are altered. Because nerve cells of the bowel regulate these functions, changes in these neurons may cause the symptoms that lead to suffering in these individuals. Likewise, symptoms suffered by individuals with functional bowel disorders (FBD), such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), may be due to changes in the structure or function of these nerves. We use electrophysiological, molecular, biochemical and imaging approaches to assess changes in these nerve cells. Altered molecular targets are characterized to aid the development of interventional therapeutics.