Dr. Raybould is an intergrative physiologist with training in neurophysiology and gastrointestinal physiology. Research in the Raybould Lab focuses on understanding the mechanisms by which gut luminal contents are sensed by chemosensing cells in the epithelium and activation of the vagal afferent (gut-brain) pathway.  

Our research focuses on how both nutrients and bacterially-derived factors activate gut endocrine cells and how this information is transmitted to the brain to alter GI function and food intake.  We study how these pathways are altered in metabolic disease, including obesity and type 2 diabetes. The lab’s research focuses on alterations in the gut microbiota and intestinal permeability in obesity, and how these factors may drive changes in the gut-brain pathway. We also work on the beneficial effects of prebiotic milk oligosaccharides and prebiotic bacteria in metabolic disease.