Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 20, 2026

Morphological Analysis of Drosophila Larval Peripheral Sensory Neuron Dendrites and Axons Using Genetic Mosaics
Published on: November 7, 2011
Rising Stars: Molecular and Functional Diversity of the Sensory Nervous System
1Institute for Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tsinghua Medicine, Tsinghua University, and Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Beijing 100084, China.
Abstract:
Dr. Wenwen Zeng serves as a professor in the Institute for Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, and Tsinghua Medicine at Tsinghua University. She received her B.Sc. degree in Tsinghua University and a Ph.D. degree in the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. The Zeng Lab explores brain-body interactions underlying energy balance and related diseases to better understand fundamental biological processes and inform therapeutic interventions. Here, we provide a concise overview of the diverse landscape of sensory neurons residing in the nodose ganglion and dorsal root of ganglion. By synthesizing recent advances, we elucidate how this diversity forms the neural basis for visceral perception, offering insights into their collective role in health and disease.
Related Concept Videos
Introduction to Special Senses
What is a Sensory System?
Sensory Perception: Organization of the Somatosensory System
The receptor level:
The receptor level is the first stage of sensation. It involves the detection of a stimulus by specialized sensory receptors. The stimulus must arrive within the receptor's receptive field. Next, the receptor converts the energy of the...
Functional Divisions of the Nervous System
The sensory division transmits information from sensory receptors in the body to the CNS. It provides the CNS with knowledge about somatic senses (such as tactile, thermal, pain, and proprioceptive sensations)...
Sensory Modalities
General senses refer to the broad category of sensory information detected by receptors in the body and can be further grouped into somatic and visceral senses. Somatic sensations include touch, pressure, temperature, and pain and are essential for navigating our environment and...
Introduction to Sensory Receptors
The first classification criterion is based on cell type, position, and function. Some receptor cells are neurons with free nerve endings, where their dendrites are embedded in the...

