The overarching theme of the Augustine lab is to understand in unprecedented detail how various peripheral neurons control basic cardiac physiology and how signals from the heart also influence the brain in a recurrent loop to give rise to appropriate behavior in health and disease. Even though cardiology is an old discipline, lack of genetic technologies has limited neuroscience research in this area. We seek to address the following specific challenges a) Genetic and functional characterization of cardiac sensory neurons b) Assessment of the influence of cardiac sensory neurons on brain networks- from sensation to behavior c) Exposition of aberrant signaling at the heart-brain axis in cardiovascular pathologies like myocardial infarction (heart attack). We use state-of-the art neuroscience and molecular biology techniques including opto/chemogenetics, calcium imaging, ultrasonography, tissue clearing and light sheet microscopy, mesoscale electrophysiological recordings and machine learning assisted behavior phenotyping. Elucidating the neurobiology of the heart is not only a crucial basic scientific endeavor, but it also offers significant translational promise for cardiovascular disorders that remain the largest killer globally.