#JNeurosci highlight of the week: S1-insula neurons modulate AUD-related behavior. Explore this week’s selection of featured research: https://www.jneurosci.org/content/featured-research

Also incredibly honored that our image was selected as the cover art for this issue. We used viral tracing and whole-brain light sheet microscopy to map the brain-wide collateral targets of primary somatosensory cortex neurons that project to the insula.

SfN Journals@sfnjournals.bsky.social · 2mo ago

This Week in The Journal #JNeurosci | Exploring Backpropagating Signals in Foveal Cones; Why Do Cochlear Implants Lead to Residual Hearing Loss? https://www.jneurosci.org/content/46/22/etwij46222026

Really excited to finally have this paper published 🎉🎊. A true team effort spanning many years and multiple lab members. Special thanks to former MS student Amanda Salazar for launching the project and current PhD student Tatiyana Adkins for leading the final push. Proud of everyone who contributed!

SfN Journals@sfnjournals.bsky.social · 2mo ago

#JNeurosci: Adkins et al. explored how binge alcohol exposure and protracted abstinence impact the S1-insular circuit in mice, revealing how alcohol can reshape sensory processing to drive alcohol use disorder-related behavior. https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1588-25.2026

🚨New lab paper! TL;DR we ID'd interesting connections between alcohol naïve stress-induced insula activity, and negative affect-like behavior in abstinence after chronic alcohol exposure. An AUD susceptibility marker? Congrats to 1st author Ben Williams! www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Association of stress-sensitive mid-insula activity with alcohol drinking and negative affect-like behavior during abstinence in mice

Stress is central to many neuropsychiatric conditions, including alcohol use disorder (AUD). Stress influences alcohol initiation, escalation, progres…

sciencedirect.com

Want to combat the Thanksgiving food coma? Grab a cozy spot on the couch and read our new paper in Psychopharmacology, part of an upcoming special issue honoring the late Dr. Klaus Miczek's seminal contributions. Congrats co-first authors Aditi Buch & Ava Shipman! link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Single prolonged stress in mice: interactions between alcohol drinking, negative affect, and fear learning - Psychopharmacology

Rationale & objective Exposure to traumatic stressors can have detrimental effects on one’s well-being. Alcohol is often used as a coping mechanism to alleviate stress, leading to the development of a...

link.springer.com

One more week for poster submissions (Due Oct 9!) to #WCBR2026 www.winterbrain.org

Next big lab news: we’ve received an R01 from the NIAAA to study the role of the insular cortex in stress and alcohol use disorder-related behavior! It’s been a longgg road to get here, but I’m incredibly excited (and grateful) to finally be able to pursue this research

All my trainees have been absolutely crushing it lately- receiving awards, submitting manuscripts and grants, giving phenomenal talks, posters, etc. But special shoutout to PhD student Aditi Buch, for receiving an F31 NRSA from NIAAA! Aditi is a rock star and she developed an awesome project.

I’ve been quiet here and on the other platform for a while partly to tune out the inescapable negativity. But i'll admit I miss the good side of science social media- celebrating wins and learning about the cool science others are doing. I’ve got some exciting lab updates to share. Stay tuned!

The CSR comm I'm on just pulled all Diversity F grants from the current review cycle. These apps are reviewed alongside (and by the same criteria) as all other F grants. So, instead of helping these trainees, they will actually be punished by having their grant reviews delayed at least 1 cycle !?!?

I’m pumped to share that our new paper in Biological Psychiatry is out! We dissected a novel astrocyte-neuron interaction in the ventral periaqueductal gray (vPAG) that maintains wakefulness involving norepinephrine and dopamine neurons🧵: www.biologicalpsychiatryjournal.com/article/S000...

Adenosine A2A Receptors Link Astrocytic α1-Adrenergic Signaling to Wake-Promoting Dopamine Neurons

Sleep and arousal disorders are common, but the underlying physiology of wakefulness is not fully understood. The locus coeruleus promotes arousal via α1-adrenergic receptor (α1AR)–driven recruitment ...

biologicalpsychiatryjournal.com

Hello Bluesky! 👋 Excited to join this community. Interested in what the lab is working on? Instead of spending an hour perfecting/overthinking my first post, here's something even better: our lab's very first preprint! Just uploaded to @biorxiv-neursci.bsky.social www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

A stress-activated mid-insula to BNST pathway regulates susceptibility to abstinence-induced negative affect in female mice

Stress is central to many neuropsychiatric conditions, including alcohol use disorder (AUD). Stress influences the initiation and continued use of alcohol, the progression to AUD, and relapse. Identif...

biorxiv.org