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/...

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...

pnas.org

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...

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…

sciencedirect.com

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... 1/12

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.

nature.com

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...

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

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.

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...

biorxiv.org

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...

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

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...

nature.com