The Bone Morphogenetic Protein (BMP) signaling pathway is vital in neural progenitor cell proliferation, specification, and differentiation. The BMP signaling antagonist Gremlin 2 (Grem2) is the most potent natural inhibitor of BMP expressed in the adult brain; however its function remains unknown. To address this knowledge gap, we have analyzed mice lacking Grem2 via homologous recombination ( Grem2−/− ). Histological analysis of brain sections revealed significant scattering of CA3 pyramidal cells within the dentate hilus in the hippocampus of Grem2−/− mice. Furthermore, the number of proliferating neural stem cells and neuroblasts was significantly decreased in the subgranular zone of Grem2−/− mice compared with that of wild-type (WT) controls. Due to the role of hippocampal neurogenesis in neurological disorders, we tested mice on a battery of neurobehavioral tests. Grem2−/− mice exhibited increased anxiety on the elevated zero maze in response to acute and chronic stress. Specifically, male Grem2−/− m...

Deficits in social behavior are found in neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). Since abnormalities in cerebellar morphology and function are observed in ASD patients, the cerebellum is thought to play a role in social behavior. However, it remains unknown whether the cerebellum is involved in social behavior in other animals and how cerebellar circuits control social behavior. To address this issue, we employed zebrafish stereotyped orienting behavior as a model of social behaviors, in which a pair of adult zebrafish in two separate tanks approach each other, with one swimming at synchronized angles (orienting angles) with the other. We harnessed transgenic zebrafish that express botulinum toxin, which inhibits the release of neurotransmitters, in either granule cells or Purkinje cells (PCs), and zebrafish mutants of reelin , which is involved in the positioning of cerebellar neurons, including PCs. These zebrafish, deficient in the function or formation of cerebellar ne...

Animals, humans included, navigate their environments guided by sensory cues, responding adaptively to potential dangers and rewards. Avoidance behaviors serve as adaptive strategies in the face of signaled threats, but the neural mechanisms orchestrating these behaviors remain elusive. Current circuit models of avoidance behaviors indicate that the nucleus accumbens (NAc) in the ventral striatum plays a key role in signaled avoidance behaviors, but the nature of this engagement is unclear. Evolving perspectives propose the NAc as a pivotal hub for action selection, integrating cognitive and affective information to heighten the efficiency of both appetitive and aversive motivated behaviors. To unravel the engagement of the NAc during active and passive avoidance, we used calcium imaging fiber photometry to examine NAc GABAergic neuron activity in ad libitum moving mice performing avoidance behaviors. We then probed the functional significance of NAc neurons using optogenetics and genetically targeted or e...

Tetrahydroxy stilbene glucoside (TSG) from Polygonum multiflorum exerts neuroprotective effects after ischemic stroke. We explored whether TSG improved ischemic stroke injury via PTEN-induced kinase 1 (PINK1)/Parkin-mediated mitophagy. Oxygen glucose deprivation/reoxygenation (OGD/R) in vitro model and middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) rat model were established. Cerebral injury was assessed by neurological score, hematoxylin and eosin staining, 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride staining, and brain water content. Apoptosis, cell viability, and mitochondrial membrane potential were assessed by flow cytometry, cell counting kit-8, and JC-1 staining, respectively. Colocalization of LC3-labeled autophagosomes with lysosome-associated membrane glycoprotein 2-labeled lysosomes or translocase of outer mitochondrial membrane 20-labeled mitochondria was observed with fluorescence microscopy. The ubiquitination level was determined using ubiquitination assay. The interaction between molecules was validated b...

Autonoetic consciousness (ANC), the ability to re-experience personal past events links episodic memory and self-consciousness by bridging awareness of oneself in a past event (i.e., during its encoding) with awareness of oneself in the present (i.e., during the reliving of a past event). Recent neuroscience research revealed a bodily form of self-consciousness, including the sense of agency (SoA) and the sense of body ownership (SoO) that are based on the integration of multisensory bodily inputs and motor signals. However, the relation between SoA and/or SoO with ANC is not known. Here, we used immersive virtual reality technology and motion tracking and investigated the potential association of SoA/SoO with ANC. For this, we exposed participants to different levels of visuomotor and perspectival congruency, known to modulate SoA and SoO, during the encoding of virtual scenes and collected ANC ratings 1 week after the encoding session. In a total of 74 healthy participants, we successfully induced system...

In the article “Prolonged Activity Deprivation Causes Pre- and Postsynaptic Compensatory Plasticity at Neocortical Excitatory Synapses,” by Derek L. Wise, Yasmin Escobedo-Lozoya, Vera Valakh, Emma Y. Gao, Aishwarya Bhonsle, Qian L. Lei, Xinyu Cheng, Samuel B. Greene, Stephen D. Van Hooser, and Sacha B. Nelson, which was …

Thomas Utley, a licensing officer in the Center for Technology Transfer and Commercialization at Vanderbilt University, describes how he uses skills developed in the research lab in his career.

How has the understanding of the mysterious tissue between our ears changed in the past 50 years? In her Totally Cerebral episodes on Transistor, neuroscientist Wendy Suzuki introduces the scientists who have uncovered some of the deepest secrets about how our brains make us who we are. Suzuki begins by talking with groundbreaking experimental psychologist Brenda Milner who, in the 1950s, completely changed our understanding of the parts of the brain important for forming new long-term memories. Through her observation and careful study of patients with profound amnesia, Milner wrote a paper in 1957 that broke with the accepted theories about memory, and blew open the entire field of neuroscience.

Neuroscience departments and programs and SfN chapters that are working to increase awareness of the issues facing women in academia, and implement effective strategies to improve hiring practices have a new tool: the Increasing Women in Neuroscience (IWiN) presentation, Candidate Recruitment and Evaluation, created by SfN’s Professional Development Committee.

Everywhere you go, you continuously build your personal and professional network. In fact, one conversation today could become a career connection down the road. Build trusting, intentional relationships in your day-to-day interactions in order to advance your career now and in the future.