Brandeis University · BiologySengupta Neurobiology Lab
Piali Sengupta · Waltham, Massachusetts
Research Focus
Dr. Piali Sengupta's lab at Brandeis University studies how sensory neurons in the nematode C. elegans detect internal signals related to digestive processes. The research focuses on the mechanisms of sensory neuron function and how these neurons adapt their structure and activity based on environmental experiences. By using a simple model organism, the lab aims to uncover fundamental principles that could also apply to more complex organisms, including humans.
neuroscienceC. eleganssensory neuronsenteric nervous systemmorphological diversificationbehavioral plasticitychemical detectionmechanical cues
Research Aims
5AIM 01Investigate how enteric neurons in C. elegans detect and respond to chemical and mechanical signals.
AIM 02Characterize the mechanisms by which sensory neuron morphology is regulated and diversified.
AIM 03Study the relationship between sensory neuron structure and their functional plasticity in response to experiences.
AIM 04Explore how temperature influences the structural changes in thermosensory neurons as a form of adaptation.
AIM 05Assess how gene expression changes correlate with sensory neuron activity and behavior.
Skills the Lab Values
cell cultureimmunofluorescencegenetic manipulationmicroscopybehavioral assaysRNA sequencingdata analysis in Pythonmolecular biology techniquesheat shock experimentsneuron morphometry
Output against the department
Publications172top 38% of dept.395th of 1,033
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations9.0ktop 42% of dept.437th of 1,033
this lab
most citedleast cited
Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. A department spans everything from one paper to tens of thousands, so bar heights are on a log scale — otherwise the largest lab would flatten every other bar to a line.