Yujuan Su

We study body-brain crosstalk in health and disease, with a particular focus on the lung-brain axis as a model for interoception. Interoception is a fundamental biological process through which the nervous system senses and responds to the internal state of the body. We aim to define how signals from the lung are detected, transmitted, and integrated within the central nervous system to drive systemic responses, and how these pathways are altered in diseases. We integrate interdisciplinary approaches spanning neural circuit mapping, single-cell profiling, opto- and chemo-genetics, whole-animal physiology, and behavioral analysis to address these questions at molecular, circuit, and functional levels.

Our recent work establishes a framework for lung-brain communication. We mapped the first complete allergen interoceptive circuit linking the lung to the brain and back (PMID: 38987587; PMID: 39112579), demonstrating how central circuits regulate airway function and positioning the lung as a sensory organ. In addition, we have systematically defined the molecular diversity and projection patterns of lung-innervating sensory neurons (PMID: 34755535; PMID: 41259123), providing a foundation for understanding how pulmonary signals are encoded.