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UCLA Neuroscience Theme

@uclaneurotheme.bsky.social

The UCLA Neuroscience Theme is comprised of researchers aiming to understand brain function, development and disease & to convert discoveries into treatments

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UCLA Neuroscience Theme @uclaneurotheme.bsky.social · 4h ago

How does an experience become a lasting memory? #UCLA researchers reviewed how brain regions work together as memories form. This image highlights the hippocampus & retrosplenial cortex (2 areas involved in learning) & the connections between their brain cells. Read more: doi.org/10.1002/hipo...

$A line graph labeled "A" showing total sleep time ($t_{sleep}$) in hours per day plotted against age on a log scale. The graph displays a sharp, non-linear decline in sleep duration from infancy to early childhood, which plateaus around age 2–3 into adolescence and adulthood.$

UCLA Neuroscience Theme @uclaneurotheme.bsky.social · yesterday

#Sleep is not time away from learning, but part of the process. UCLA-affiliated researchers, including #UCLA BRI leader Gina Poe, found that sleep helps the brain reorganize connections early in development and supports repair & cleanup later. Read more: science.org/doi/10.1126/... #Learning

$A scatter plot graph labeled "B" showing the relationship between Age (top x-axis) and $\ln(t_R/t_S)$ (y-axis). A linear regression line with a strong negative slope illustrates a steep decrease in the ratio during early development ($y = -0.60x - 1.22$, $R^2 = 0$

UCLA Neuroscience Theme @uclaneurotheme.bsky.social · 2d ago

#BackToSchool: The emotions you experience while learning shape what you remember & how. New #UCLA @davidclewett.bsky.social study finds negative emotional experiences act as dividers in memory w/ implications for learning under stress & understanding #PTSD. t.co/JxoIPrZuP3 #Memory #Neuroscience

Diagram illustrating an experimental study design on memory and emotion, divided into Encoding and Retrieval phases. The Encoding phase shows a timeline of neutral images interrupted by a negative emotional image, where participants either view or reappraise the image and rate its likeability. The Retrieval phase tests participants on event order ("Which came first?") and temporal distance ("How far apart?") between pairs of items.

UCLA Neuroscience Theme @uclaneurotheme.bsky.social · 5d ago

Today's PhD students are the first to train alongside powerful AI; real opportunities & challenges for scientific publishing. This Science piece addresses both. We are committed to training @dgsomucla.bsky.social students to navigate this w rigor & integrity. science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aek5570

AI in scientific publishing: Slower, worse, and more expensive

There’s a saying in the management world, popularized by NASA administrator Daniel Goldin in the 1990s, that the goal of technological improvements is to make products faster, better, and cheaper. Alt...

science.org

UCLA Neuroscience Theme @uclaneurotheme.bsky.social · 6d ago

Meet the UCLA Neuroscience Theory Club, a student-led group dedicated to one of the most exciting emerging strengths at @dgsomucla.bsky.social: theoretical & computational approaches to understanding the brain. These students are building that culture from the ground up, on their own initiative. 🧠

UCLA Neuroscience Theme @uclaneurotheme.bsky.social · last wk.

Congrats to Mika Holtz & Syon Mansur, @dgsomucla.bsky.social PhD students who earned NSF Graduate Research Fellowships this year, a highly competitive award in science. But awards like this are rare & most brilliant students depend on PI grants & the philanthropic support that supports our program.

Split image of UCLA neuroscience PhD students Mika Holtz (left) and Syon Mansur (right) smiling outdoors in front of flowering trees and bushes.

UCLA Neuroscience Theme @uclaneurotheme.bsky.social · last wk.

At @dgsomucla.bsky.social undergrads don't just take classes; they do real science. Elena Kong is studying how the brain develops in Down syndrome, work that could point toward new therapeutic targets & improve quality of life. This is what hands-on scientific training looks like. 🧠 #DownSyndrome

Elena Kong standing in front of her poster about understanding the role of inhibitory interneurons in brain development, including in Down syndrome.

UCLA Neuroscience Theme @uclaneurotheme.bsky.social · last wk.

Meet the newest generation of UCLA neuroscientists. Last year's incoming PhD trainees are now joining labs & beginning research that will define the next chapter of brain science. They arrived full of curiosity & ambition during trying times & we are proud to have them at @dgsomucla.bsky.social!

Newest generation of UCLA neuroscientists standing in three rows on stairs outside of UCLA.

UCLA Neuroscience Theme @uclaneurotheme.bsky.social · 2w ago

Stroke is the leading cause of adult disability & most survivors never fully recover. Tom Carmichael, chair of Neurology at @dgsomucla.bsky.social, has identified a drug that mimics physical rehabilitation by restoring brain rhythms disrupted by #stroke. A pill for stroke recovery. t.co/a646Zo6j5c

A three-panel scientific figure comparing brain structures across three conditions: Sham, Stroke, and Stroke + Rehab. The top row shows high-resolution fluorescence microscopy images of green dendritic spines on neurons, displaying loss of spines after stroke and recovery with rehab. The lower panels present outline diagrams of the mouse brain mapping functional motor and somatosensory cortical areas (labeled cRFA, iRFA, and SS) with highlighted connections.

UCLA Neuroscience Theme @uclaneurotheme.bsky.social · 2w ago

Did you know different genetic risks for autism may lead to shared changes in the brain? A UCLA-led study examined hundreds of thousands of individual brain cells & found common patterns across specific brain cell types. Read more: t.co/WgNFJZfdi3 #UCLA #autism #neurodevelopment #genetics

A single-cell transcriptomic t-SNE or UMAP scatter plot displaying distinct cell-type clusters mapped in different colors. The plot categorizes major brain cell types, including:
1. OPC (pink/magenta cluster, labeled with sub-clusters OPC1, OPC2, OPC3)
2. Astrocyte (orange/red cluster, labeled ASTRO1, ASTRO2, ASTRO3)
3. Microglia (tan cluster, labeled MG1, MG2, MG3)
4. Endo (olive green cluster, labeled BBB_Endo)
5. BBB (green cluster, including Pericyte and BBB_SM)
6. ODC (purple/magenta cluster, labeled ODC1, ODC2, ODC3)
7. Excitatory and Inhibitory Neurons (blue and purple clusters along the bottom, including labels like EXT_4_L56, EXT_9_L6, INT_5_SST, INT_4_VIP_CR, and INT_6_PV).

UCLA Neuroscience Theme @uclaneurotheme.bsky.social · 2w ago

July 22 is #WorldBrainDay. This year's #BrainHealthforAllAges theme couldn't be closer to home. At @dgsomucla.bsky.social we study how brains change over a lifespan, from young animals making flexible decisions to older ones shifting strategies ways we're only beginning to understand t.co/QO0dkfZx3e

This image was made with spectral confocal reflectance (SCoRe) and fluorescence confocal imaging. The image reveals heterogeneous myelin morphologies associated with amyloid-β (Aβ) deposits in 3-month-old 5xFAD male mouse brain. From Hong-wei Dong's lab and published in Acta Neuropathologica Communications, 2026.

UCLA Neuroscience Theme @uclaneurotheme.bsky.social · 2w ago

Day 2 of #BrainHealthWeek: Five things I would never do as a neuroscientist who studies healthy aging at @dgsomucla.bsky.social, from Chair @annechurchland.bsky.social. Some are surprising. #UCLA #neuroscience #brainhealth #dementia #sleep #shingles #vaccines #hearing #diet #relationships #aging

UCLA Neuroscience Theme @uclaneurotheme.bsky.social · 2w ago

Day 1 #BrainHealthWeek. Read how Jonathan Kao is creating life-changing AI-powered brain-computer interfaces at @dgsomucla.bsky.social that help people w/ paralysis fold laundry, open doors & pick up objects w/ only brain signals & a wearable headset t.co/4ZZqqyuwkf #brainhealth #assistivetechnology

A photograph of a laboratory setting demonstrating a non-invasive brain-computer interface system.

In the foreground: A person in a wheelchair is seen from behind, wearing a dark blue EEG fabric cap with multiple white electrodes wired across it to capture brain signals. They are facing a desk setup.

On the desk: A robotic arm with a white finish is positioned in the center near small colored blocks. To the left, a computer monitor shows a visual feed or interface, and to the right, another monitor displays lines of code. A tripod stands behind the desk, and a whiteboard in the background has a list of handwritten rules partially visible, starting with "1. A robot may not injure a human being...".

UCLA Neuroscience Theme @uclaneurotheme.bsky.social · 3w ago

Neurobiologist @daboussi.bsky.social at @dgsomucla.bsky.social makes science accessible to everyone. Here she breaks down striking Nature paper showing COVID-19 mRNA vaccines nearly doubled 3-year survival in lung cancer patients receiving immunotherapy, doing far more than expected. t.co/GsfdxZaXUC

UCLA Neuroscience Theme @uclaneurotheme.bsky.social · 3w ago

A new study including @dgsomucla.bsky.social's Gal Bitan reports an RNA aptamer that blocks alpha-synuclein from clumping & breaks apart existing aggregates — a key driver of Parkinson's disease. Early-stage research in fruit flies, but that's exactly how it starts. t.co/iAWM1DVGkg #parkinsons

A scientific figure consisting of a line graph and an electron microscopy image.

On the left: A line graph plotted on axes of "Relative fluorescence" (y-axis, ranging from 0 to 50) and "Incubation (h)" (x-axis, ranging from 0 to 100). A green data point with a horizontal error bar is plotted at approximately $x = 100, y = 50$, with a thin black line connecting it back to a point at $(0,0)$.

On the right: A green-bordered, high-magnification electron micrograph showing a fiber-like structure (indicated by a black arrow) with small round particles bound to it (indicated by two red arrowheads pointing to them).

UCLA Neuroscience Theme @uclaneurotheme.bsky.social · 3w ago

Joaquin Fuster is 95 & still at @dgsomucla.bsky.social talking science w/ students. In 1971 he discovered prefrontal neurons stay active during memory delays: the neural basis of working memory. Sharing a campus w/ someone whose work shaped the field is one of the great joys of academic science.

UCLA Professors Anne Churchland, Joaquin Fuster, and Alex Huk are smiling, standing behind trainee Sufia Ahmad and Professor Alicia Izquierdo who are sitting at a wooden table.

UCLA Neuroscience Theme @uclaneurotheme.bsky.social · 3w ago

Glioblastoma tumor cells behave like cells from a developing brain, proliferating w/o normal controls. Aparna Bhaduri's lab at @dgsomucla.bsky.social is using what we know about cortical development to understand why & find new therapeutic targets. Neuroscience meets cancer biology. t.co/VLyfqOEpPv

A scientific flow chart and diagram titled "Tumor Periphery," "Hypoxia and Immune Response States," and "Tumor Core," illustrating the microenvironment and cellular transitions of Glioblastoma (GBM).

Tumor Core: Shown on the bottom left as a brain illustration with a highlighted red tumor mass, leading into an "Immune-infiltrated" cellular cluster, as well as "Vascular" and "Neurovascular" cell types.

Hypoxia and Immune Response States: A central circular pathway depicts transitions between "MES progenitor" cells and "MES" cells, alongside dividing cells.

Tumor Periphery: The right side of the diagram details "Neurodevelopmental States," showing progenitor cells (RG and oRG) differentiating into neural lineages including neurons (purple), oligodendrocytes (green), astrocytes (blue), NPCs, and OPCs.

Arrows indicate the dynamic cellular plasticities and cycling between these different states and regions. A citation reads "Martija A, Bhaduri A. 2026. Annu. Rev. Neurosci. 49:19-37”

UCLA Neuroscience Theme @uclaneurotheme.bsky.social · 4w ago

We think of elite footballers as physical specimens & they are. But watch the goalkeeper. When a penalty is struck, the ball travels at up to 80mph, giving keeper ~200 milliseconds to process the ball's trajectory, & execute a full-body dive. The brain is the most underrated organ on the pitch.

FIFA World Cup {bot}@fifaworldcup-x.bsky.social · 4w ago

🇲🇦 Amrabat 🆚 Mbappé 🇫🇷 #FIFAWorldCup

UCLA Neuroscience Theme @uclaneurotheme.bsky.social · 4w ago

Chair @annechurchland.bsky.social tried Claude Science as a skeptic & was genuinely surprised. It found new insight on lab's published neural data — inspired by work on neural geometry — that they hadn't done themselves. Fact-checking still underway, but clever analysis. Her verdict: worth trying.

UCLA Neuroscience Theme @uclaneurotheme.bsky.social · last mo.

Parkinson's is the fastest growing neurological disorder & aging alone can't explain it. A @dgsomucla.bsky.social study links air toxics in CA's Central Valley to #parkinsons risk. Nickel, benzene & 1,3-butadiene all show striking associations. sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969726006637

$Choropleth map of California's Central Valley focusing on Fresno, Tulare, and Kern counties, illustrating workplace exposure levels to Nickel measured in nanograms per cubic meter ($\text{ng/m}^3$). A legend labeled "A. Nickel ($\text{ng/m}^3$)" categorizes exposure into five color-coded ranges from pale beige ($1.56 - 1.86$) to dark red ($2.04 - 2.23$), with Kern and Fresno counties highlighted in the highest concentration tiers.$

UCLA Neuroscience Theme @uclaneurotheme.bsky.social · last mo.

Tonight’s fireworks are a full-brain workout: color and motion engage the visual system, booms recruit multisensory circuits, surprise triggers dopamine, and watching together amplifies the experience. Evolution built us to find meaning in sensation. Happy 4th from @UCLA Neuroscience!

UCLA Neuroscience Theme @uclaneurotheme.bsky.social · last mo.

So proud of Kelsey Martin, who did much of her prize-winning work at @dgsomucla.bsky.social. Her discovery that neurons make proteins right at their synapses transformed our understanding of learning and memory. A well-deserved 2026 Kavli Prize. 🧠 #neuroscience #learning #memory #braindisorders

UCLA Neuroscience Theme @uclaneurotheme.bsky.social · last mo.

Your vote may not be as predetermined as you think. Research shows that where your eyes go in the voting booth influences which option you choose — strongest for issues you care about most. Attention and value are deeply linked in the brain. 🧠 www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... #neuroscience

An illustrative drawing of a woman standing at a voting booth, looking down with her hand resting on her chin. The side of her voting booth features an American flag graphic with the word "VOTE." In the background, other voters stand in line near a check-in table next to a full-sized American flag.

UCLA Neuroscience Theme @uclaneurotheme.bsky.social · last mo.

Autism looks different in every person, but there may be shared patterns hidden in the brain’s chemistry. New UCLA study led by Daniel Geschwind @dgsomucla.bsky.social examined chemical marks on DNA across more than 60,000 brain cells from autistic & neurotypical donors. Read more: t.co/SRhLCu7tGz

A colorful UMAP scatter plot displaying different brain cell types and clusters, primarily focusing on inhibitory and excitatory neuron lineages alongside non-neuronal cells. Various clusters are labeled with text in distinct colors, including "L2/3 IT", "L4/5 IT", "L5/6 NP", "L6 CT", "L6b", "OPC", "Astro", "Oligo", "PV", "SST", "Sst Chodl", "Inh MGE", "Vip", "Lamp5", "Lamp5/Sncg", "Chand.", and "Inh CGE".

UCLA Neuroscience Theme @uclaneurotheme.bsky.social · last mo.

UCLA's computational neuroscience community is growing! @marcustriplett.bsky.social is joining @dgsomucla.bsky.social Dept of Neurobiology, bringing expertise in statistical machine learning methods for neuroscience & computation in artificial & biological neural systems. Welcome to UCLA, Marcus!

UCLA Neuroscience Theme @uclaneurotheme.bsky.social · last mo.

Neurons get the attention, but the brain is roughly half astrocytes. Studying non-neuronal cells is one of neuroscience's most exciting new frontiers and @dgsomucla.bsky.social is a leader. New review from Baljit Khakh's lab: nature.com/articles/s41583-026-01054-0 🧠

A scientific diagram detailing astrocyte interactions and functional subcompartments within the brain. A central, star-shaped astrocyte cell is shown extending branches to various neighboring structures, numbered 1 through 6. Surrounding panels illustrate specific cellular relationships: top-left shows astrocyte-neuron interactions at synapses; middle-left shows astrocyte-oligodendrocyte interactions; bottom-left details astrocyte-astrocyte coupling via gap junctions; top-right illustrates astrocyte-endothelial cell interactions at end feet wrapping around a blood vessel; middle-right highlights astrocyte functional subcompartments containing organelles like the nucleus, Golgi apparatus, endoplasmic reticulum, and mitochondrion; and bottom-right depicts astrocyte-microglia interactions.

UCLA Neuroscience Theme @uclaneurotheme.bsky.social · last mo.

What makes the human brain unique? And why does that uniqueness sometimes go wrong in diseases like autism, schizophrenia, & Alzheimer's? These are the questions driving Genevieve Konopka, the new @dgsomucla.bsky.social Chair of Neurobiology. We are thrilled to have her leading Neurobiology at UCLA.

Photo of Genevieve Konopka, the new Chair of Neurobiology at David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.

UCLA Neuroscience Theme @uclaneurotheme.bsky.social · last mo.

Flow states and creativity feel like purely internal experiences. But your face and body are telling a different story the whole time, in ways you don't control and can't easily hide. 🧠 #neuroscience #nonverbalcommunication #behavior #creativity

UCLA Neuroscience Theme @uclaneurotheme.bsky.social · last mo.

Science is a team sport. The @dgsomucla.bsky.social folks in this photo spend their days trying to understand one of the most complex objects in the universe, the brain, & they do it together. Sharing ideas, pushing back on each other, celebrating wins & working through setbacks as a team.

Members of the Churchland Lab posing outside at UCLA.

UCLA Neuroscience Theme @uclaneurotheme.bsky.social · last mo.

Evolution spent millions of years optimizing neural computation for energy efficiency. The visual system is the masterpiece. Future AI systems will likely take advantage of the tricks that have been learned. 🧠 #neuroscience #artificialintelligence #AI #computation #energy