Thalamic CGRP neurons define a spinothalamic pathway for affective pain | PNAS Pain is both a sensory and emotional experience caused by various harmful stimuli. While numerous studies have explored peripheral and central pain...

New paper out in @pnas.org Thalamic CGRP neurons form a spinothalamic pain pathway relaying pain signal to the amygdala & insular, but not sensory cortex to encode the affective dimension of pain. Huge congrats to first author Sukjae Kang & coauthors. www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

Interoceptive processing in the nucleus of the solitary tract The interoceptive nervous system continuously monitors the status of visceral organs to synthesize internal perceptions and regulate behavioral and ph…

Lots of recent papers discuss the nucleus of the solitary tract in interoception. In this review, we take a sensory processing perspective on how interoceptive signals are encoded in the NTS:
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Psilocybin’s lasting action requires pyramidal cell types and 5-HT2A receptors - Nature A pyramidal cell type and the 5-HT2A receptor in the medial frontal cortex have essential roles in psilocybin’s long-term drug action.

Our latest study identifies a specific cell type and receptor essential for psilocybin’s long-lasting neural and behavioral effects 🍄🔬🧠🧪

Led by Ling-Xiao Shao and @ItsClaraLiao

Funded by @NIH @NIMHgov

📄 Read in @nature.com - www.nature.com/articles/s41...

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Congrats Greg and team!🎉🎊🎊

Amazing story! Congratulations, Greg and team!!!🎉🎊

1/ 🧠 Excited to share our new preprint:

Convergent state-control of endogenous opioid analgesia

We uncover how cognitive + contextual factors—like injury, fear, and placebo—modulate pain through dynamic opioid signaling in the periaqueductal gray (PAG)

biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

This is figure 1, which shows the identification of a cortical-to-brainstem slow breathing circuit.

A study in Nature Neuroscience identifies a prefrontal–pontomedullary pathway that slows breathing and reduces anxiety in mice. The findings explain a circuit basis for top-down control of breathing, which can influence emotional states. 🔒 https://go.nature.com/3CUtPy3

"Frequency-dependent transmitter switching" adds a new layer of complexity to neurotransmission, potentially uncovering how individual multi-transmitter neurons encode diverse information. Firing rate must be recognized as a crucial variable in optogenetics, as previously highlighted!

Encoding opposing valences through frequency-dependent transmitter switching in single peptidergic neurons Peptidergic neurons often co-express fast transmitters and neuropeptides in separate vesicles with distinct release properties. However, the release dynamics of each transmitter in various contexts ha...

Some glutamatergic synapses show decreased release probability (Pr) at high firing rates due to vesicle depletion or VGCC feedback inhibition. In contrast, neuromodulator vesicles exhibit increased Pr, enabling frequency-dependent encoding of distinct information via transmitter switching.

Thank you for your kind words! I am very glad that you enjoyed reading it.

Thanks a lot!

Thank you, Tom!!!

Amy Cao

Excited to share my first post here! Our new paper reveals a top-down breathing circuit that slows breathing to ease anxiety & fear. A step forward in understanding how brain-breathing interactions shape emotion. Published in Nature Neuroscience—grateful to my team!
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

A top-down slow breathing circuit that alleviates negative affect in mice - Nature Neuroscience Jhang et al. identify a prefrontal–pontomedullary pathway that slows breathing and reduces anxiety in mice, where the pontine reticular nucleus converts excitatory prefrontal inputs into inhibitory si...

An empirical finding providing a glimpse into why meditation or breathing practices could work for reducing negative affect! An amazing paper by Sung Han’s team at Salk Institute🧘‍♀️🧘‍♂️👏🏽https://www.nature.com/articles/s41593-024-01799-w