Sensory nerve systems translate environmental physical and chemical stimuli into neuronal language and form according sensations. Dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons are the primary sensory neurons for skin sensation, and it is still unclear how these DRG neurons encode the stimulations on the skin. My interest is to decode the encoding strategy of DRG neurons. We are using in vivo calcium imaging on DRG neurons of mice, to study how the mechanical and thermal stimulations to the hind paw are presented by a population of DRG neurons.
Recent publications from the YDK lab are listed here