Despite numerous studies examining the mechanisms of operant conditioning (OC), the diversity of OC plasticity loci and their synergism have not been examined sufficiently. In the well-characterized feeding neural circuit of Aplysia , in vivo and in vitro appetitive OC increases neuronal excitability and electrical coupling among several neurons leading to an increase in expression of ingestive behavior. Here we used the in vitro analogue of OC to investigate whether OC reduces the excitability of a neuron, B4, whose inhibitory connections decrease expression of ingestive behavior. We found OC decreased the excitability of B4. This change appeared intrinsic to B4 because it could be replicated with an analogue of OC in isolated cultures of B4 neurons. In addition to changes in B4 excitability, OC decreased the strength of B4’s inhibitory connection to a key decision-making neuron, B51. The OC-induced changes were specific without affecting the excitability of another neuron critical for feeding behavior, B...

Neonatal hydrocephalus presents with various degrees of neuroinflammation and long-term neurological deficits in surgically treated patients, provoking a need for additional medical treatment. We previously reported elevated neuroinflammation and severe periventricular white matter damage in the progressive hydrocephalus ( prh ) mutant which contains a point mutation in the Ccdc39 gene, causing loss of cilia-mediated unidirectional cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) flow. In this study, we identified cortical neuropil maturation defects such as impaired excitatory synapse maturation and loss of homeostatic microglia, and swimming locomotor defects in early postnatal prh mutant mice. Strikingly, systemic application of the anti-inflammatory small molecule bindarit significantly supports healthy postnatal cerebral cortical development in the prh mutant. While bindarit only mildly reduced the ventricular volume, it significantly improved the edematous appearance and myelination of the corpus callosum. Moreover, the tr...

You can contribute to a large-scale effort to increase awareness about issues facing women in academia. As an SfN member, you have access to a series of Increasing Women in Neuroscience (IWiN) toolkits and related resources that are adaptable for your use at your institution or local chapter meeting. Each toolkit contains a 30-minute presentation that focuses on specific gender retention issues, such as recruitment, hiring, promotion, and evaluation. The presentations highlight critical data, real-life success stories, practical strategies for breaking the cycle, and ready-to-use tools. The toolkits were adapted from live workshops and made possible through the NSF-funded Department Chair Training to Increase Women in Neuroscience program. Explore the toolkits and related resources here.

Pablo S. Villar is currently doing his PhD thesis at the University of Maryland.

Pamela Yao is a senior scientist at the Laboratory of Neurosciences in the National Institute on Aging. Her work focuses on studying the normal functions of signaling pathways in establishment and maintenance of neural circuits in developing brains, and the pathological roles of these signaling pathways in age-related neurological disorders.

Pawan Kumar Jha is a postdoctoral fellow at The Francis Crick Institute in London.

Peta Eggins completed her honors year in the laboratory of CAL. Eggins is currently completing graduate studies in psychology.

Peter Wenner is an associate professor in the physiology department at Emory University’s School of Medicine.