The Hill lab seeks to understand the mechanisms and physiological roles of nervous system-organ crosstalk. Sensory neurons play expected roles in detecting painful stimuli throughout the body. They also are increasingly appreciated within the burgeoning field of interoception for unconscious roles in regulating physiology, for example: interactions with immune cells during inflammation, modulation of tissue metabolic state and other processes through inhibition of sympathetic efferent function, and release of neuropeptides that signal to a multitude of local cell types. Many of these events are reported from the study of cutaneous sensory neurons. We are just scratching the surface regarding sensory and “non-sensory” roles of internally innervating sensory neurons of the vital organs.

The kidneys are essential for nearly a dozen physiological processes, ranging from filtration of blood to fluid homeostasis. They are a dynamic organ system comprised of an elegant collage of interacting cell types that can fine-tune their functions in response to even minor changes in the internal environment. The mechanisms underlying the kidneys’ exquisite regulatory abilities are incompletely known. While the roles of efferent sympathetic neurons have long been appreciated in these processes, the afferent sensory component remains poorly understood, despite its hypothesized roles in sensing the mechanical forces and chemical signals that inform renal function, exciting clinical data highlighting key roles for renal innervation in the control of hypertension, and the well-recognized and debilitating kidney pain in response to infection or obstruction. However, the form and function of renal sensory nerves are poorly understood. Only recently have the genetic, transcriptomic, and viral tools become available to bridge these knowledge gaps mechanistically. The Hill Laboratory uses techniques including in vivo calcium imaging, behavior, measurement of physiological parameters, and intersectional viral-genetic approaches to understand the roles of renal sensory innervation in health and disease. We are also broadly interested in questions related to interoception mechanisms and visceral pain.