The neural mechanisms supporting the rise and fall of maternal aggression - Nature In mice, female aggression is governed by an amygdala–to–medial hypothalamus circuit that is strengthened during pregnancy and is dynamically amplified by oxytocin during lactation.

What has changed in mama bear brain (well, actually mice) to make her risk her life to attack a potential threat and protect her young? Oxytocin is the key! Happy to share our new study led by two awesome postdocs: Takashi Yamaguchi and Rongzhen Yan.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

In vivo multiplex imaging of dynamic neurochemical networks with designed far-red dopamine sensors Dopamine (DA) plays a crucial role in a variety of brain functions through intricate interactions with other neuromodulators and intracellular signaling pathways. However, studying these complex netwo...

Excited to share our Science paper on HaloDA1.0-the first genetically encoded far-red dopamine sensor! 🥳It enables powerful multiplex imaging in neurons, brain slices, and live animals.🧠🔬 #GRABsensors #Dopamine www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Congrats, Eyal! A great way to start.

Congrats!

Deaths from heart disease down 75%, that’s NIH.

Deaths from stroke down 75%, that’s NIH.

HIV/AIDS no longer a death sentence, that’s NIH.

99% of FDA approved drugs in the last decade, that’s NIH.

Please show this video to anyone who doesn’t understand why the NIH is so important.

Advice I often give to my students is to separately read the first sentence of every paragraph. Those sentences alone should make the argument you want to make.

And then whatever follows each topic sentence should *only* be about what the topic sentence is about.

This can help structure papers.

NIH Grants Fueled $95 Billion In FY 2024 Economic Activity, Finds New Report National Institutes of Health grants generated almost $95 billion in economic activity nationwide in FY 2024 according to a new report by United for Medical Research.

NIH is the best investment there is.

www.forbes.com/sites/michae...

Bidirectional emotional regulation through prefrontal innervation of the locus coeruleus - Molecular Psychiatry Molecular Psychiatry - Bidirectional emotional regulation through prefrontal innervation of the locus coeruleus

Check out a new lab paper from Mayumi Watanabe's thesis work showing how different subregions of medial prefrontal cortex differentially regulate extinction of aversive memories through projections to the locus-coeruleus-noradrenaline system:
doi.org/10.1038/s413...

I'm pleased to report that the board has now heard from NIH that the appointments of these three investigators and similarly situated folks are being extended. Thank you NIH! Delighted that the stellar work there will be continuing!

Distinct neural responses of ventromedial prefrontal cortex-projecting nucleus reuniens neurons during aversive memory extinction - Molecular Brain Animals adaptively regulate aversive memories in safe environments through extinction, a process central to exposure therapy for anxiety disorders. The limbic thalamus controls cognitive function in c...

The first paper from Akira Uematsu's lab (first author @moon240.bsky.social)!: molecularbrain.biomedcentral.com/articles/10....

And check out his lab website: www.uematsu-lab.com/research/

Congrats!

Our paper @dulaclab.bsky.social on social homeostasis is online today! We characterized “social rebound” behavior after social isolation in multiple mouse strains and revealed its neural basis. Intriguingly, soft touch plays a key role in satisfying social need!
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

A crucial role for the cortical amygdala in shaping social encounters - Nature The posterolateral cortical amygdala and other connected brain regions have a key role in mediating the transition from investigative to aggressive behaviour in male mice.

1/4 I am very pleased to share this new manuscript, “A crucial role for the cortical amygdala in
shaping social encounters”, led by 2 spectacular postdocs, Dr. Tony Aubry who is on the job market, and coauthor @neuromanonyc.bsky.social

Read it here: www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Do you have ambitious plans to study the molecular mechanisms of environmental adaptation in mammalian model systems? Join EMBL Rome as an independent group leader: generous core funding & benefits, top-level students & core facilities. embl.wd103.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/EMBL/d...

Here is a link to the full text:
rdcu.be/d688i

In expert mice, the gate is open permanently. Dopamine is no longer needed. This study is led by a talented student Bing Dai. We thank Yulong Li and Larry Zweifel labs for providing critical tools to make the study possible.

Dopamine in the VTA is essential for novice aggressors but not expert aggressors. Dopamine can gate the flow from the hippocampus through the lateral septum that eventually reaches the hypothalamus to initiate attack.

Experience-dependent dopamine modulation of male aggression - Nature Dopaminergic neurons in the ventral tegmental area have a role in modulating aggression in adult male mice, and this effect of dopamine depends strongly on fighting experience.

Antipsychotics is often used to suppress hyper-aggression. Does it really suppress aggression or just cause sedation? Antipsychotics targets dopamine receptors. Our new study revealed that dopamine modulates aggression based on animals' fighting experience.

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

We are now accepting applications for 2025 Connexins! This is an in person symposium for senior graduate students to share their works with the NYU neuroscience community. Please RT!!! wp.nyu.edu/connexins/

First post on Bluesky!✨
(1/7) Far-red dopamine sensor is coming! Excited to introduce our chemigenetic DA sensor, HaloDA1.0! #Dopamine #FarRedSensors, #GRAB www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

A background in physics, and his own curiosity, have helped Dmitry Rinberg tackle the complexities of the neuroscience of smell. More on Rinberg sniffing out the mysteries of olfaction.

By Lina Zeldovich

www.thetransmitter.org/olfaction/sn...

Hey #ACNP2024 attendees, UAB Neurobiology is looking to recruit 4 faculty in the areas of addiction neuroscience, iPSC/organoids, and neurodevelopmental disorders. All searches are open rank. Specific ads are forthcoming, but you can also apply at this link!
uab.peopleadmin.com/postings/18636

Parental neurobiology: The 4 Hz lullaby The transport response in altricial mammals, triggered when picked up, involves calming, immobility, and limb folding. This behavior facilitates safe maternal transport and is associated with reduced heart rate and vocalization. New research reveals the specific tactile mechanisms and afferents underlying this critical early-life response in rat pups.

Lovely dispatch on our latest @currentbiology.bsky.social paper on the rat pup transport response.

Thanks Duncan Leitch @polyodon.bsky.social n.bsky.social and J Schwarz for the thoughtful summary @mblscience.bsky.social @sidb-edinburgh.bsky.social @edinunineuro.bsky.social

tinyurl.com/22d7y6n6

Multisensory integration of social signals by a pathway from the basal amygdala to the auditory cortex in maternal mice Nowlan et al. identify a neural pathway that enables the integration of sounds and odors as female mice engage in maternal care. They report that projection neurons from the amygdala to the auditory c...

The latest paper from the Shea Lab is out today online. Here @anowlan.bsky.social shows that responses to sound in the auditory cortex merge with olfactory information via the basal amygdala. This is likely an important pathway for maternal behavior www.cell.com/current-biol...