Suresh Jesuthasan Lab

The central interest of the lab is on biological mechanisms influencing emotions, in particular fear and anxiety. Zebrafish are used as the experimental system, as this allows a combination of molecular and optical manipulation, combined with behaviour and in vivo activity recording. We have previously found that bacteria on the skin can elicit a state of fear. Current projects examine sensory systems that detect bacterial ligands, as well as neural systems that more generally regulate the intensity of an emotional response. One brain region that we have focused on is the habenula, an evolutionarily conserved regulator of neuromodulators such as serotonin. Current work examines the role of glial cells.

We also investigate how signals from the nervous system, such as peptides, can in turn influence bacteria.