Melissa R. Warden, Ph.D.
@mrwarden.bsky.social
Associate Professor, The University of Arizona. Neuromodulation; neural circuits of cognition and emotion. Princeton/MIT/Stanford/Cornell/Arizona wardenlab.org
Excited to move to the Department of Neuroscience at the University of Minnesota in the fall. We will continue our work on neuromodulators and behavior. Positions available in the lab. Please get in touch if interested, and share broadly! hr.myu.umn.edu/jobs/ext/374... hr.myu.umn.edu/jobs/ext/374...
Why does dopamine ramp up during approach to predictable rewards? In this preprint with Luke Priestley, we explore the idea that dopamine ramps occur when reward predictions inferred using a world-model are used to train striatal cached values.
Dopamine ramps as a normative consequence of dual-process control
Midbrain dopamine neurons are thought to implement a temporal difference (TD) reward prediction error (RPE) that updates cached values stored in striatum. This has been challenged by evidence that dop...
biorxiv.org
There hasn't previously been a treatment vs pancreatic cancer this successful. Striking improved (a doubling) survival results @nejm.org and @ascocancer.bsky.social published today with daraxonrasib, which also became available via an FDA-approved early access program nejm.org/doi/full/10....
ASU School of Medicine and Advanced Engineering, in partnership with HonorHealth, is seeking an Academic Division Chief of Neurosciences. Apply to lead academic programs, research, and innovation at the intersection of medicine & engineering: jobs.honorhealth.com/jobs/84402?l...
Academic ASU Division Chief of Neuroscience in Arizona, United States | HonorHealth
HonorHealth is hiring a Academic ASU Division Chief of Neuroscience in Arizona, United States. Review all of the job details and apply today!
jobs.honorhealth.com
One of the joys of being a scientist is the ability to think about a problem for a long time. Our new preprint solves a mystery that has been bugging me since I was a graduate student (which was, ahem, a while ago). 🧪🧠🧵1/ www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Guided by Noise: Correlated Variability Channels Task-Relevant Information in Sensory Neurons
Shared trial-to-trial variability across sensory neurons is reliably reduced when perceptual performance improves, yet this variability is low-dimensional, so it could be ignored by an optimal readout...
biorxiv.org
Two preprints up! The first, led by Aarron Phensy, uses red+green voltage indicators to show that prefrontal gamma oscillations dynamically engage various cell types, creating multiple synchrony configurations, each tied to a distinct aspect of cognitive flexibility: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Prefrontal gamma oscillations engage dynamic cell type-specific configurations to support flexible behavior
Cognitive dysfunction in conditions such as schizophrenia involves disrupted communication between the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and mediodorsal thalamus (MD). Parvalbumin interneurons (PVI) are known t...
biorxiv.org
The University of Arizona is holding an open-rank neuroscience faculty search, multiple tenure-track positions available! Positions will be in the new Department of Translational Neurosciences at the College of Medicine in Phoenix. tinyurl.com/42t8tcey
Assistant, Associate or Full Professor (Tenure Track), Translational Neurosciences (Phoenix) - Phoenix, Arizona job with University of Arizona | 12842366
Assistant, Associate or Full Professor (Tenure Track), Translational Neurosciences (Phoenix) Posting Number req23491 Department COM Phx Translation...
tinyurl.com
The first photos from the Vera Rubin Observatory are stunning — thanks in part to the University of Arizona, which helped build its mirror. Proud to see Arizona leading the way in space science.
New results: Oscillatory Control of Cortical Space as a Computational Dimension www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... #neuroscience
Oscillatory Control of Cortical Space as a Computational Dimension
Flexible cognition depends on the ability to represent and apply context, allowing the brain to interpret sensory input and guide behavior in a context-dependent manner. Recent work has proposed Spati...
biorxiv.org
we're crowd-sourcing a searchable repository of tangible benefits stemming from federally-funded research. Come enjoy the great stories; or send in an idea; or volunteer to join the team. publicusaresearchbenefits.com please share and re-share so we get more great stories in there!
Searchable database of tangible benefits that federally-funded research gave us.
A crowd-sourced site. Health and Well-being. National Security. Prosperity.
publicusaresearchbenefits.com
This documentary on LIGO, an NSF-sponsored project that first directly observed gravitational waves, is an amazing, realistic depiction of the process of doing science. youtu.be/dX4vCNi544w?...
"LIGO"
YouTube video by Advanced LIGO Documentary Project
youtu.be
For those interested, applications are still open for the Ph.D. program in Clinical Translational Sciences at the University of Arizona, deadline Feb. 1. The mission of the PhD program is to train students to be skilled researchers who can successfully address both clinical and basic science /1
PhD Program
chs.arizona.edu
For those interested, applications are still open for the Ph.D. program in Clinical Translational Sciences at the University of Arizona, deadline Feb. 1. The mission of the PhD program is to train students to be skilled researchers who can successfully address both clinical and basic science /1
PhD Program
chs.arizona.edu
Proud to present work from my graduate student Yating Yang that just posted on BioRxiv. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
biorxiv.org
Thrilled to present our latest BioRXiv on brain/body interactions during defensive freezing behaviour! (www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...). You might think that a frozen animal has, well, frozen muscle activity, right? Wrong! Underneath the still surface of a fly, something in the legs is beating… 🧵
A starter pack! Some of my favorite women in neuroscience (sorry if I forgot you, I will add!) go.bsky.app/SCFmKoC
When you fail to perform at your best right when it matters the most, what's going on in your brain? We can now provide an explanation: Exceptionally high stakes interfere with the neural signals of motor preparation. I'd love to hear - what do you think causes it? sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
A neural basis of choking under pressure
Incentives tend to drive improvements in performance. But when incentives get too high, we can “choke under pressure” and underperform right when it m…
sciencedirect.com
A postdoctoral position in the Warden lab is open! Our work is on neuromodulatory circuits and their inputs and outputs, and how these circuits support behavioral decision making. If interested, please reach out!
